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.
Author's notes: Sorry about the silence! For those who don't know, I was sick as hell last week, and it took me a while to recover enough to start writing again. Add to that the fact that the chapters waiting for me were Dante's Rating Game, and things took even longer even after I got back to writing.
That being said, I bring some good news!
I'm back, I'm doing well, and Chapters 77 and 78 were finished this morning! Two absolute MONSTER chapters, adding up to almost 25k words covering the entire Rating Game. That's like four of my normal chapters lol.
I'm tired as hell, more than you guys could imagine, but I'm also DAMN proud of how everything turned out.
Now, I know I disappeared for a while, even if I had my reasons, so take this double update as an apology!
Hope you guys keep enjoying my story and let me know what you think! Next chap will be up in a bit, just needs some clean up.
A Marvelous Devil.
Chapter 72: The Green Door.
Azazel.
The Underworld.
It had been a very long time since I had found myself this stumped.
Barely paying attention to the prototype Sacred Gear in front of me, my mind couldn't help but replay the memory of that fated meeting that ended unlike anything I had expected.
I knew devils. Ever since my dear brother had gone batshit insane and somehow became one out of nowhere, I had done my best to study what Helel had become.
I wasn't even sure why. Was it to find a way to fix him? The one who had shone brighter than all of us combined?
I couldn't say. Maybe I just wanted a way to kill him myself despite being weaker than him back then.
Never could tell what I truly felt about him. The majority of us had that problem, and then he went and killed our Father.
Somehow.
That was another thing that took a long time to get over. Even being nigh-immortal and very knowledgeable, it wasn't an easy fact to swallow.
"Azazel?"
But swallowed I had, hundreds of years after it happened and the proof that Father wasn't sitting up there having pulled a fast one over the devil throwing a tantrum.
But no. The thing currently beeping in front of me was crystal clear proof that Lucifer had truly done it.
This one was my last attempt at my magnum opus, but it wasn't there yet. There was something still missing from it.
But I was so close. So damn close.
I just didn't know if I had to stuff Fafnir inside of it to work. I was still looking at every potential answer that didn't require that, but each passing day made it increasingly clear that it might be the only option. And considering how things could explode inside the Grigori at any moment, it's not like I had much time to find an alternative.
"Azazel?!"
Especially considering the new thing that had been plaguing my mind since I met that abnormal devil. I hadn't been able to focus on my experiments as much as I should.
The table groaned as it began to tremble, and I pouted, watching smoke rise from the prototype.
"Really?" I glared at Penemue heatedly.
"And now he's awake," she scoffed. "Really, brother? We're on the very cusp of a civil war, and you never pay attention to the meetings."
"I'm busy, if you hadn't noticed," I rolled my eyes, looking down at the sludge of metal in front of me.
With a groan, I teleported it to the pile of failed versions. At this point, it had been growing bigger and bigger thanks to Penemue and Shemhazai.
They were stressing each other too much. They had to learn how to live a little.
The surly bastard Baraqiel sighed tiredly as Shemhazai looked at Penemue blankly while he calmed her down beautifully. I knew my brother had my back.
I smiled brightly at him, but he just raised his hand.
"What haven't you told us, Azazel?" he asked calmly.
I scowled, looking to the side.
"You basically ripped the devil off," he snorted. "We got more healing supplies than we've ever had. Enough for me to overlook the nun situation, considering Andromalius's known friendship with the two heiresses in Kuoh who are trying to recruit the girl. And he's given us his products at cost… no, honestly, for less than he should have. You even got a proving ground for the peace you're hoping to establish between our races."
Shem took a deep breath."So… why have you been like this? It's been a long time since I've seen you so rattled, brother. Normally, you'd be cackling about having swindled another devil. Hell, you haven't even laughed at the disturbed look on Kokabiel's face since you made the announcement."
Penemue sat next to him, crossing her arms. She tried to look upset, which, admittedly, wasn't that hard, considering all I usually put her through.
But it was easy to see the concern in her eyes.
Baraqiel looked torn at the mention of the Gremory brat.
"You always knew me too well, Shem," I sighed, looking at the table.
I just didn't understand! And I hated that, oh, so fucking much.
"What happened during the meeting?" Penemue asked softly.
"I don't know what the fuck he is, okay?!" I snapped, huffing and glaring at the wall.
I fucking hated not knowing what that devil was. Because he wasn't a mere devil. And it wasn't like I could kidnap him and pull every damn secret out of him like I would have done in any other situation.
Penemue was startled at the sudden rise in volume, looking rather perturbed.
It wasn't just because of his friendship with the Satans. I hadn't missed the way he treated Serafall like an ordinary friend. A young devil, barely an adult by human standards, talking that comfortably with Serafall?
Having meetings often with Ajuka inside his castle?
Absurd. But I was old. I could pull it off with enough preparation and come out smelling like roses.
But his friendship with those monsters wasn't even the worst part. It was that the little bastard put me on edge by himself!
"I don't know." I closed my eyes, remembering the feeling in his voice when he told me to sit down.
And how my own body followed the order. It hadn't been magic; there wasn't anything I could feel from him in the slightest. Just that look in his eyes that looked at me dismissively, like I was something small.
It had set off every alarm inside my head, blaring in a way they hadn't done in a very long time. And I hadn't even been threatened!
Why on Father's green earth did my body follow his command without realizing why?
My three most trusted friends looked at me in confusion, but they hadn't met the man to know what it was like.
"He said Father's name," I said after a moment, remembering the strange way the world had reacted to his words.
A name we had lost the right to utter when we fell from His grace.
It was a name not many could utter, including the vast majority of the angels.
The last time I heard it came from Nimue herself after the toy she and Father had made was broken to pieces. That woman had a set of lungs... and she put sailors to shame with how she cursed.
I still didn't understand how Michael didn't fall just by being near her when she did so.
"He is strong, then," Baraqiel muttered thoughtfully. "He's what, nineteen? Twenty?"
"Around that," Penemue nodded, not being able to hide her surprise.
"That's not all," Shemhazai said seriously. "That would surprise you, not put you like this, Azazel."
"He said His true name," I said through clenched teeth. "You know, the one not even we can utter? He almost gave Serafall a seizure."
They opened their mouths to speak but stopped, their eyes taking on a forlorn expression. The reminder of what we'd lost was enough to distract them from the far more concerning fact that a devil had uttered His name.
I was already on fire, though, and I realized that I didn't have to suffer through it alone.
Why they picked me as their leader was beyond me, but I wasn't going to go through his unexplainable existence by myself.
"He knew, somehow, that Father was dead. Serafall swore that none of them had told him, and from our investigations, there is no way he could have possibly learned about it. He stared at me, looking almost like he gone into shock, before he started drilling us for information. He called Lucifer and the rest bugs not capable of killing Father in any way, thinking we were lying to him." I snorted in disbelief.
That look in his eyes unnerved me.
"It was as if he couldn't believe it," I let out a confused breath.
"Is that surprising? Father was Father," Penemue's eyes turned analytical.
"Fuck if I know," I shrugged, going through my memories. "I would almost say he looked like he was speaking from experience."
"We both know that is impossible," Shemhazai snorted.
I nodded at that.
"Yet, that's what it looked like to me. And he didn't think like a devil his age, at all. He'd pulled the wool over the Satans' eyes the entire time. Serafall was just as surprised as I was after she… recovered." I pointed out in confusion, feeling my wrath flare once more.
I hated not knowing.
"What else?" Baraqiel asked after a moment.
He didn't need to probe me at this point.
"It felt as if he was used to these kinds of conflicts. Once he learned the truth about Father, he inferred everything that had happened, including that Michael, the Satans, and I were planning for peace. He went over the complications of our civil war in an instant and came up with a plan I'd have been proud to call my own."
"And then…" I stopped, shivering for a moment. "He offered to look into our traitors, looking almost giddy about it. His own clan trait is strong enough that Serafall and I forgot about him until he touched our shoulders. You do know why dear pops decided to get rid of the Andromalius, right? Let me tell you something, I had forgotten how horrifying that is."
They began to talk amongst themselves, now looking torn between being excited at having such an ally… which I understood in its entirety, and dreading what the fuck we had gotten into.
And the bastard was probably fucking all those beautiful girls while I was forced to be in meetings, probably including Baraqiel's daughter. I could recognize someone like me even from a distance.
At least I could push Bara's buttons if I truly wanted to test the Andromalius bastard. From my read on him, he wouldn't even be offended and would probably find it hilarious.
… A small part of me hated that little shit, uncaring of how helpful he was shaping up to be.
Another part of me couldn't shake the way he'd reacted to Father's death. That complete disbelief, as if he'd known something none of us did.
But that was impossible.
It wasn't like he'd known dear ol' pops.
Jean Grey.
Ashen Court.
Waking up inside my mind was something I had only gotten used to not that long ago. Or at least, having access to the complete thing.
The mere thought of Xavier sent a spike of irritation that made the plane tremble. Closing my eyes, I used what he had taught me to control myself.
It was irritating, and I couldn't escape that man as much as I wanted to.
Yet I was thankful for him. For everything he had done, including fucking around with my head.
Because if he hadn't, I wouldn't be here.
"You're here!" My doppelganger jumped from the other side of the plane and knocked me onto the ground with a wide smile. "How do you feel, Jean? All good? Do you remember me?!"
"You're way too energetic at this hour, Phoenix," I sighed, palming her face to push her away so that I could breathe.
She didn't respond as she usually did.
In fact, she remained silent, and I opened my eyes to see my pouting copy, almost tearing up adorably as she returned to a younger age, sitting on top of my chest.
"It's Nova," she said softly, her bottom lip trembling, and then she hiccupped.
My eyes widened before I grinned, remembering last night.
"Nova." I patted her head. "I'm so glad to meet you."
Nova sniffled, still tearing up but pressing her head against my hand. I smiled softly, feeling… at peace.
Then I tickled her sides, making my little copy burst into peals of laughter. "Stop! Stop!" she giggled.
"Nope," I popped the p. "I didn't forget what you asked of Dante, you rascal."
"Are you angry at me?" she looked downward. "It just… hurts to be away from you. We're one."
"Of course I'm not," I sighed, pulling the little Nova into a hug. "I was just joking, sorry."
She rubbed her face against my shirt and hugged me tightly.
"You aren't against my reincarnation?" I asked cautiously. "I don't know; doesn't my being a devil make you think differently of me?"
"Why would I be, silly?" she laughed, and I grunted as her size returned to match mine.
Dante and I had already gotten used to her mood swings, and at this point, it was honestly endearing in a way.
"Being a creature of darkness? My sinful nature? Aren't you against that?" I asked curiously.
"Haha," she laughed, her dimples showing as she shook her head almost… patronizingly.
My lips thinned at that.
"I'm life. I'm death. I'm change. I'm evolution, silly Jean. I'm what comes next, whatever that may be. That's all there is." She shrugged atop me, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Why would I care about something dumb like religious sins? You do know that I could totally kick that God's butt if I wanted back home, right? They are all below me."
"You could?" I raised an eyebrow.
"We could!" she nodded proudly before looking to the side.
"Nova…" I barely avoided laughing.
"… The bigger me could?" she said hesitantly. "We'll totally get there, you'll see, silly Jean!"
"And here I expected you to be humbler than Dante," I sighed even as I chuckled.
"Why would we? We're more, and so will you be, Jean." She dropped her forehead against mine.
It was strange having a copy of myself acting so… affectionately, but it was also interesting. I wasn't as disturbed as I was before, at least.
"Hehe," she laughed teasingly. "There you are, once more thinking about him. Why don't you see outside, Jean?"
She kicked me out of the mental plane before I could run away to try and avoid her noticing my growing blush. All for nothing, obviously, considering how she giggled in the back of my head.
I opened my eyes, feeling a warmth I didn't recognize all around me. I was… different. Not by much, surprisingly enough considering that I had changed races not that long ago, but there were a few changes I could inherently feel.
I felt stronger. My psionic energy flowed faster, more smoothly than ever before. There was also a second pool of energy inside, likely demonic power. It wasn't as small as I feared, and in fact, it felt almost at the same level as Rias's own. Maybe a tad bit higher.
Hm. I should tease her with that. She always made the funniest faces.
Turning around slowly to avoid waking up the rest, I laughed in disbelief at the two pairs of… tits on my left side.
Oh my.
My face was burning as I watched Tandy hugging Rogue from behind, her hands resting on my friend and teammate's chest almost religiously.
It wasn't like she'd ever hidden her attraction to either of us. And, honestly, it wasn't entirely one-sided.
A way that felt a bit more pronounced at this point, a consequence of becoming a devil, probably. Or watching them nude, I couldn't tell.
They were beautiful, and I smiled seeing their content grins. I was oh so curious about what they were dreaming about, but I couldn't enter their minds as I noticed the two hands hugging my stomach.
My still-clothed stomach, thank you very much. That alone brought a small chuckle out of me, and a gentle smile.
Dante truly was quite considerate, even when he knew I wouldn't have minded. I was in on this, with all that entailed.
Looking at his face, I focused on the connection between us. It was… different. Deeper than the psychic one. It was like we were connected in the most genuine way possible.
He had his eyes closed, his blond hair a mess against the pillow, holding me close.
But he wasn't asleep.
I connected our minds instead of speaking aloud.
"You didn't sleep at all, Dante?" I asked worriedly.
"Cute." I could feel his smirk as his hands tightened around my stomach. "A single day of no sleep doesn't affect someone like us at all, dear. But… I couldn't."
His voice had turned somber by the end.
"What happened? Did something go wrong with my reincarnation?" I asked, trying to bury the panic deep inside of me.
"No, no. Apart from some complications, you are part of my peerage, Jean," he tried to assuage my worries. "It's what Red mentioned. I don't like it."
"It was weird," Nova piped in with a pout, hijacking the connection. "Like…"
"Like they are too weak?" Dante asked knowingly.
I looked between them in confusion. "They aren't weak, Dante. Like… at all."
"For what they are?" Dante raised an eyebrow. "They are absurdly weak. There's something really fucking strange, and I don't know what."
"What do you mean?"
Dante sighed, and he made seats for the three of us in the mental plane.
"She's Becoming." He pointed at Nova. "There's Eternity, Death, Infinity, Oblivion, Hate, Love, and many others. What do you think is the difference between them and a normal higher existence?"
"You mentioned something about that during one of our lessons." I bit my lip, trying to remember. "Their… domains?"
He waved his hand a bit. "Kinda, and we're simplifying things, but yeah, that was what I'm getting into. A god can rule over a domain: love, warfare, knowledge, basically anything you can think of. Conceptual beings like Nova here," he patted her head, "are… closer to the domain itself. Do you understand?"
"Not really," I admitted, and he laughed softly.
"It can be confusing. But my point is… Red and the others he mentioned don't just embody their domains. They are their domains. Creation, Potential, Dreams, all that. Then… why are they so weak? Better yet, the gods in this reality are a bit different from those back home. Weaker, even. But their essence is… similar. Really similar."
"Like… diminished? They have similar legends, similar abilities, but they're somehow weaker despite being capable of the same things?" I tilted my head.
"Exactly! And it doesn't make any sense, but I can't think why it is like this, and I don't like it." Dante first smiled before he scowled. "It's like I'm missing something big. The way Red and the others came into existence reminds me a lot of my own birth, but… there's something strange about it."
"And the dragon doesn't know," Nova scowled cutely.
It was weird that I saw it like that, considering it was my face. She was making me a damn narcissist.
"You also find it weird?" Dante looked at her.
"He is Dream, but he felt stale. I don't care, though." She stuck her tongue out. "I barely paid him any attention; I just wanted to be closer to Jean!"
"Of course you did," Dante chuckled, patting her fiery hair.
Three hours later.
Dante Andromalius.
"Mother, could you please let my peerage breathe a little?" I sighed tiredly as Celestine hugged the stuffing out of the three girls.
The funny part was that they didn't even seem against it, the three having the widest smiles possible as they received a round of applause from everyone in the hall, welcoming them to the family like they weren't already a part of it.
Jean sent me a grin at my thoughts, and I just rolled my eyes.
"But Dante!" Celestine whined. "More daughters!"
"Yes, yes, I know, but they do need to breathe, you know?" I smiled, pulling out my seat and sending a wink to Akeno, who was busy setting our plates.
Then I looked around in confusion. It wasn't that late, but getting ready had taken longer than usual since we hadn't bathed together. And, surprisingly enough, Rogue had taken longer than Jean in the bathroom.
"Where's Sona?" I asked curiously, seeing everyone already gathered around the table, including Magdaran.
Misla looked over the moon at that.
Sona's peerage was here, sitting next to Tsubaki, but my adorable lover was missing.
"She's…" Momo opened her mouth with a smirk before a panicking Ruruko blocked it with her hand.
"Girls." Tsubaki sighed at them before looking at me. "She doesn't want you to worry or lose focus on your game, Dante. She asked me not to tell you, but I'll answer if you insist."
"Hm." I tilted my head. "Is she in any danger?"
"To her health? Not at all; she is quite safe." Tsubaki's lips twitched. "That being said, I don't think she's having fun. You'll find out soon enough, though. I doubt she'll manage to hide it from you for long."
I laughed, wondering what she had gotten into. I was curious, obviously, but I respected her wishes.
"Fine, I'll ignore my curiosity for the moment." I nodded at her, and she sighed with a small smile. "That being said, how have you all been? I'm afraid I haven't paid as much attention as usual."
"Rias's peerage will be ready." Sai nodded firmly next to his half-brother. "I will be taking her and Akeno to the outskirts of the Gusion castle today. Kuisha will take care of training the rest of her peerage while Koneko goes to the therapist."
The small, silent catgirl scowled in my direction at that, as most of Rias's peerage winced.
"What's that about?" Jean asked worriedly, having finally let go of Celestine, who took her seat next to Hadrian.
"Oh, nothing to worry about, dear," Misla replied. "I just… asked around, and it turns out that Dante's brand of helping was seen as… perhaps too efficient? Rias and her peerage decided that, instead of worrying Dante about it, I could find a very good therapist for them. I was thinking of offering him a place under Dante so that we could have access to them at all times."
I glanced at them while buttering my toast.
Kiba stared down at his plate, Koneko didn't back down and glared at me with her ears out, and Akeno winced but didn't match my gaze. Rias was whistling while fussing over the scared brat that didn't even dare to look in my direction.
The only one who returned my look was Isane, who just smirked.
"I'm not against it." she puffed up her chest and batted her eyelashes. "I wouldn't mind some exposure therapy with a cutie like you, Dante."
"Isane!" Rias squawked before she threw a piece of bread her way.
Magically, it was like gravity pulled it towards the valley of Isane's breasts.
"I'm taking control later if it doesn't work," I said casually, making them shiver in their seats.
"Jean and Rogue told me about someone they had in mind, so we'll probably disappear for a few days to see if it's worth it." I explained calmly. "I can't say for how long we'll be gone, but once we return, I intend to train your peerage into the ground, Rias."
"Who are they?" Rias asked suspiciously, glaring at a smirking Jean with fire in her eyes.
"A woman we met a long time ago," Jean replied casually, her grin widening. "Another human, but she's got potential."
"So they say," I nodded before Rias could explode. "Anyways, that should be all. Do whatever you want and make sure this place isn't in flames once I return."
"Dante," Nyra deadpanned, "the probability of that happening is much higher when you're here."
I chuckled, biting into the toast and nodding in appreciation.
"Oh, before I forget, I spoke with Corvin and the other reporter. They've agreed to work together for the interview, and Roygun accepted, unsurprisingly. It'll happen a week before the game." Misla smiled. "I also received a letter from Lord Dantalion. He says he's quite curious about what makes you so confident but is willing to deal with me until you win; if you do, of course."
"Perfect then," I grinned. I loved when everything came together.
I just wondered what Jean and Rogue had planned for me.
Dante Andromalius.
Hell's Kitchen.
Rias could be surprisingly convincing when she wanted to be.
Not that I would ever tell her that. No one wanted her getting an even bigger head.
The adorable redhead had somehow managed to talk me into letting her entire peerage fight mine before we left the Underworld. On one hand, she wanted to test their team.
On the other hand… she was jealous. And horny. And she couldn't wait until her contract was finished.
She wasn't the only one. There was something about her that called out to me.
Not that my appreciation for her helped her team that much. They still lost… and badly.
But they tried their best and did better than I expected in truth. I should have more faith in Sairaorg's own brand of insanity. That level of aggression was respectable, especially because they didn't fight like idiots despite that.
Compared to the group Tandy had dragged out to hunt that Stray Devil in Kuoh months ago, they had improved by leaps and bounds. Their coordination was better, they fought to kill, and they had finally started learning how to exploit each other's strengths instead of fighting like several individuals standing in roughly the same area. Especially Akeno; she didn't even hit a single person on her own team this time.
Rias had grown, too. I couldn't help but think about the eighteen-year-old devil back then, during our first dance at Sona's birthday party.
She had done a complete one-eighty. And I was so fucking proud of her.
My own peerage, though?
I smiled as I looked at the three women stepping through the portal ahead of me.
They were monsters.
Tandy had been the first, something she was absurdly proud of and reminded the others about whenever the opportunity presented itself. In a joking way, obviously. My Light didn't have a bad bone in her body.
And admittedly, she had earned that place.
She was my Light. My other half.
The first person in this life who had willingly tied herself to me forever.
Jean glanced toward her with an amused quirk of her lips as the portal closed behind us, leaving the four of us standing inside our penthouse in Hell's Kitchen.
She looked around quietly. Rogue did the same.
Did they feel strange about returning? I didn't blame them; they did have a life here, unlike Tandy, as much as they preferred to ignore that for the moment.
This world had been their home for over eighteen years.
Now?
I wasn't entirely sure it was anymore.
Tandy didn't suffer from that confusion. She wrapped herself around Rogue from behind and kissed her pale cheek, immediately turning the Southern belle bright red.
I chuckled.
"You've been more touchy-feely since yesterday."
"Of course I am," Tandy replied shamelessly. "Do you hate it?"
Before she could answer, a strange noise from outside caught our attention.
Then a louder one, and then even multiple at once.
I tilted my head before walking to the windows, looking at the chaos outside in confusion.
Those were the… police? Military, too? There were a couple of… helicopters? The things I almost destroyed in my fight in the desert.
They all raced north in a panicked hurry, probably pushing those machines to the limit, as people looked out the window before pulling out their phones.
There were booms in the distance, but I didn't recognize what they were. It sounded like punches, but for them to travel all this way…
"…Well," I whistled. "That's impressive. Anyways, we should sleep as we'll have a long day tomorrow."
I grabbed My Light's waist and began pulling her towards the bed. Mortal squabbles were a dime a dozen.
"Coming, loves?" I looked at the pair of mutant devils.
They didn't move from their place. Even Tandy stopped and wriggled inside my grasp.
Almost in unison, they threw their best attempts at puppy eyes, copying Celestine's most potent weapon to a disturbing degree.
"Really?" I sighed.
Their bottom lips trembled at the same time.
Rolling my eyes, I teleported us to the tallest building near the chaos.
And chaos it was.
"Oh my, those are a lot of dead mortals," I said calmly, looking at the trail of destruction that went a surprisingly long way behind.
There were so many souls snuffed out, making me almost grab them before I stopped myself with a sigh. It wasn't the time. Not yet.
"Dante," Rogue and Jean said through clenched teeth, their demonic power coming out of control since they had just been reincarnated.
"Not yet, I'm trying to see something," I shook my head.
"Dante?" Tandy looked at me.
"Go heal the wounded if you want," I waved her off. She nodded before blasting from the skyscraper down to the floor.
I was being obtuse; I knew that, but the girls weren't showing an ounce of self-control, so I stayed silent, pretending to think.
"Dante!" Rogue said, looking like she wanted to launch herself into the streets.
"Not even twenty seconds," I sighed. I pulled us into the street, and they flinched at the sudden teleportation, but without even asking, they rushed to help Tandy.
I walked behind them with my hands in my pockets.
"Oh, there's Pete," I mentioned, making the kid almost drop a piece of building on top of some crying mortals in surprise.
"Dante?! Thank God you're here, man!" He struggled to keep the massive chunk of concrete from collapsing on the trapped civilians.
Jean touched her temple and stretched her other hand toward the building, frowning in concentration until she straightened it out.
"Sup, brat," I nodded as he finished pulling them out before swinging towards us. "What's all this? Also, nice suit. New?"
"Aunt May won the lottery," he chuckled before he sobered up, shaking his head in alarm. "But enough of that, man, we need to help people!"
"Good for you," I snorted, "but I fear you're barking up the wrong tree, kid. The girls look like they want to help. I'm curious about something else."
I frowned minutely. There was a strange energy around the streets, almost like a trail up north, following the destruction and the pools of blood formed around the place.
"Right, have fun, do what you want," I waved the girls off. "I'll be back in a bit."
I patted the kid's shoulder as he gaped at me before I teleported, following the trail.
I didn't recognize it, but it felt familiar.
Which was strange, because I was a hundred percent sure that it was the first time I felt it.
Two beings were beating the living shit out of each other in the distance, and the trails ended on them. Both were ugly creatures, muscled and big, both green, though one looked more like murky sewage water.
There was a lot of wrath and negativity around them.
The ugliest one was the strongest of the two, but… the smallest one was growing stronger every passing moment.
I perched on a building a safe distance away before focusing on them.
The bigger one was… strange. A former human? He was filled with something that didn't originally belong to him. It was so damn weird. But it hit a limit, and I couldn't glean more about him without dissecting him.
Sending a blade of wind his way, my eyebrows raised as I barely nicked his skin. The being stumbled, and the second one doubled him over, taking the chance.
Hm. He was durable.
And he still had his intelligence, unlike the other one, who only screamed in rage. It was why I started with him; I didn't like dumb things.
But he was a waste of time.
I focused on the smaller one.
"Hulk SMASH!" it shouted as he clapped his hands over Emil's ears, leaving him disoriented.
Twisting my hands in the air, I called for the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak for a second, binding this… Hulk as it fell.
Emil jumped at Hulk, puncturing his arm with the bones coming out of his hands.
Hulk? The Hulk? Ugh, whatever. The smaller one screamed in pain, but much to my surprise, he started fighting against the overpowering force on top of him.
Little by little, the disparity in strength was getting smaller.
Until it managed to break the bone, leaving it still in there and leaking green blood. It didn't seem to care.
How hilarious.
I focused on him. It had the same energy as Emil, but the human intelligence was long gone. I was assaulted by pure rage and anger, fueling itself supernaturally as it pulled from it to grow even stronger as it began to pummel poor Emil.
Or not poor, considering he was a bit of an asshole.
I wasn't sure who I should be cheering on, considering I didn't sense anything resembling sense from the Hulk.
Looking deeper, my eyes widened a bit, seeing that the strange energy was much more pronounced in him.
I focused deeper. And deeper.
Why was I still going? There was no sign of anything.
But I kept going deeper.
What in the world was this thing? The strange energy was all-encompassing inside the being, an amount that didn't make even a little bit of sense.
I was being pulled even deeper inside the Hulk, almost entranced at the sheer vastness of it all.
Deeper.
Deeper.
And deeper.
Until a gargantuan green door stood in the nothingness inside this thing's soul.
A human silhouette curled into a ball in front of it, shivering.
I looked up, and up, and up.
And then something stared back at me.
The connection was cut off in an instant, and I was sent flying into the building behind me, coughing up a copious amount of blood.
What the actual fuck was that?!
My whole body trembled in unison, a gasp leaving my lips as I vomited my lunch onto the ground.
My eyes closed a moment later. The last thing I saw was those gargantuan yellow eyes staring back into my soul.
Tandy Bowen.
Harlem.
Dante's connection was cut off.
I had stopped healing the woman in front of me in a panic, having felt Dante's own terror through our connection. The night had started normally, with Dante being just mildly curious enough to allow us to help like we wanted. Then he grew amused, then fascinated.
Then bone-deep terror in a way I had never felt before. Not even Knull had been as bad.
"We're leaving," I barked at Jean and Rogue. "Now."
I finished healing the woman, then put her in Luke's arms before looking at Daredevil. They had arrived later, and it had been interesting meeting some heroic supers. But they didn't matter right now. No one else but Dante mattered.
"Tandy?" Rogue asked, looking unwilling.
"Something happened to Dante. We're leaving." I clenched my teeth. "I don't care what you want. We. Are. Leaving."
Rogue's eyes widened, and Jean closed her eyes for a moment before she did the same.
I didn't look at the worried Peter or the other super standing close to Luke. She was kind of a bitch.
Our wings spread behind our backs as I rushed to the last place my connection with Dante gave me. He was there… curled into a ball, trembling a little.
I knelt next to him, ignoring the two monsters below who didn't look like they had noticed us. The smaller one was already winning, and Daredevil had explained that he was supposed to be the good one.
It didn't look that heroic with that monstrously furious appearance, but I didn't currently care.
My light poured into Dante, brightening the night with pure life force.
Dante twitched as Rogue touched his body, pulling a bit of cosmic power before putting her hands on his chest.
Jean's eyes turned white, Nova looking surprised at Dante's state before she put her hand on his forehead, and a white flame formed around her hand.
Dante woke up with a start, gasping for breath as if he had been underwater for a long time.
"Dante!" I hugged him tightly, tears falling down my cheeks. "What happened, baby? You just… dropped."
His heart was beating so hard inside his chest, his pupils dilated as he looked around in confusion.
"I… I don't know," he said after a moment, his expression going blank.
"I don't remember," he said a bit more seriously. "There's something wrong with the Hulk… I don't remember."
He stood up, looking like it pained him to do so, before looking down at the victorious Hulk who sprinted into the distance, running away from the emerging military.
Dante frowned deeply, closing his eyes.
"I don't know what happened. Whatever is inside of that thing makes me feel genuine terror."
The Hulk vanished behind some buildings as I sighed in relief, slumping against Dante's back.
"We're not touching anything that has to do with that. Ever," he scowled, looking at Rogue and Jean. "Do you understand?"
The pair nodded, looking guilty and blaming themselves.
Dante sighed, looking at the destruction and focusing on the blood left on the ground. He snapped his fingers and burned it until nothing remained.
He sent a hard look Abomination's way before his expression turned ugly.
Dante's terror turned into humiliation, then anger.
"Close your eyes if you don't want to see this," he said softly before jumping into the air.
His wings flapped in the wind as he spread his arms wide.
Rogue and Jean looked uncomfortable, looking at his back. I sighed before flying next to him.
His power gathered deep in his stomach for a minute. Jean and Rogue joined us in the air as we looked down at Abomination's fallen form.
Their faces were set in stone.
"[Reduce]," he declared.
Abomination didn't even get to scream as everything was burned until not even ashes remained. There was an ethereal silhouette that arose out of his body before it too burned into nothingness.
"Finish your heroics, girls," he said quietly, looking at something only he could see. "Go help your new friends. I'll make sure those idiots don't get their hands on a single fucking scrap. We all know what happens when dumbasses start playing with shit they don't understand."
I kissed his lips softly before grabbing Jean's and Rogue's hands.
Pete and the others could probably still use our help.
If you'd like to support me and read up to FIVE chapters ahead, you can find me on pat * e*n . com (slash) Infinityreads99 Heads up: I post chapters fully edited, but I sometimes make minor tweaks before they go live here. Thanks for reading!