The silence that followed the return of Dante's true body was nearly deafening. Kaze still held the naked, unconscious form in his arms, struggling to comprehend how such a thing was even possible. Above them, the clouds hung motionless, as if the very flow of time had frozen.
— This… makes no sense — murmured Isha, gazing at Dante's body as though it were a broken weapon.
Vernasha's eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched. This was an affront. A flaw in the perfect equation she had orchestrated for decades. Tekio was not supposed to be more than a nuisance, a fleeting emotional complication. Not this.
— Someone interfered — she whispered. — This… was not his doing alone.
Jouki remained silent, scanning the emptiness around them. The scent of death lingered in the air, but no enemies were present. No Sifs. No Tekio. No Dan. She clenched her fists. Her instincts screamed: "Incomplete."
Below, the ground where Aisha and Akira had fallen was nothing but churned earth. No trace of them remained. No blood, no lingering aura. Isha drew a sharp breath and shouted:
— WHO?! WHO TOOK THEM FROM HERE?!
Vernasha's gaze drifted upward, but her eyes seemed lost in another plane. She could feel Mei's presence, pulsing like a misaligned heartbeat. Something within her prison… moved.
Somewhere between dimensions, Fenra walked steadily, carrying Tekio and Dan. Tekio still breathed, though his body trembled with instability, as if parts of his soul had been damaged—or shared too thinly. Fenra paused and glanced back.
— You are more stubborn than I expected, Tekio. And more dangerous than anyone realizes.
A faint voice emerged from Tekio:
— …Dan…
— He's alive. But… the consequences are severe.
Fenra looked ahead into the void, where golden threads etched through the darkness—the boundary of the real world. She knew they had little time before Vernasha located them again.
— Wake up, boys. The gates of the soul don't stay open forever.
Meanwhile, in the spiritual core of Dan, darkness roared. Within it… two figures lingered.
One was Dan, nude and semi-transparent. The other… Dante, formed of shadows, fracturing and screaming in agony.
— YOU TOOK ME FROM ME! I WAS YOU! — Dante shouted, desperate.
Dan merely stared at him, gasping, gripping the electric current that had risen from his chest.
— You were never me. — His voice trembled, yet carried an iron resolve. — You only occupied my space.
The current constricted, enveloping Dante completely. He screamed once more, until nothing remained but smoke.
Dan collapsed to his knees. Inside him, everything was empty. Yet… it was clean.
— Tekio… thank you — he murmured, before his consciousness sank once more.
Back on the battlefield, Vernasha had already begun issuing new orders.
— Take Dante's body. Isha, analyze it. I need to know what remains of him. If his soul has truly been exorcised, then… our throne has lost its jewel.
— And Tekio? — Kaze asked.
— Finding him is now our priority. He has ceased to be a promise. He has become a threat.
Within the spiritual prison, Mei Nuhay trembled—but not from fear.
She smiled.
Her golden eyes burned brighter than ever.
— So… it was him. — Her voice was soft, yet the energy radiating from her surged like a sun on the verge of rising.
— Now, at last… I think there's a way. A plan.
To Be Continued...