“Can’t blame him,” I said.
“That deters from the point. If I had the time, I’d simply force the sex out of you. But with this fancy new sword, I’ve got places to be, power to gain. Maybe resistance to eat.”
I shuddered. The devil girl continued to boast. “I’ll probably hunt you down when you’ve adjusted to city life. If I don’t like what the humans keep trying to do at every moment, I could always chomp you down.”
I did my best to ignore that comment. My escape route had been given to me on a silver platter. The second I get to the city, I’m ascending the fuck out of here.
“How long do we have until we get to the city?” I asked.
“We’re approaching the entrance,” the death machine replied. “You won’t see it at first due to the spell.”
She was right. In a blink, gates to a…freaking modern human city appeared in front us, about ten yards ahead.
I couldn’t describe my bafflement—on the other side of those gates was a blue sky, traffic, people or beings in human form walking amount. Some of them looked like a typical businessman with a briefcase. It looked like a New York City clone. How in the hell did this escape the eyes of Paradise Realm?
I depowered out of my locked state so I wouldn’t attract unwanted eyes.
A guard took one look at Miliana, bowed, and let us through without saying a word. I felt a second of vertigo then the world for me changed. The effects of the depths were completely gone, leaving me feeling…normal.
The need to breathe came from nowhere—and I inhaled air and then exhaled. My soul generated a flesh body instantly—but no would be able to tell—my clothes didn’t shift or anything.
“This…is unreal,” I said softly. “I’m alive again.”
Miliana shrugged then froze, her eyes widening as she looked at something behind me.
She…bowed.
I turned to see a man. A very intimidating-looking man who looked to be in his late thirties with long black hair, a goatee, red eyes. Vicious, immense, world-expanding invisible aura radiated around him. I could feel his power…it matched Conus. No…there was even more power, a depth that I cannot sense. There could be only one being down here that could have power that felt like this. The man’s presence was neither human, devil, demon—it just felt alien. Something way above my capacity to understand. Something that didn’t belong here.
“I have no idea what you’ve done to get that one interested enough to not consume you,” he said in a voice smooth as silk. It’s one of those voices that emit the, “you can relax. I won’t need to kill you. I’ve got people for that,” feeling. There was a slight accent in the voice…Italian? Damn did his power exerted around him, outclassed everything here. The pressure made it a bit tricky to stand. He continued to talk. “Come, Epex Helios, demigod son of Conus. We need to talk. And trust me, you’ll want to hear this.” He turned and begin walking in a direction. I started to follow but Miliana grabbed me with two hands. The man stopped without turning around but said nothing.
“You…you,” she said softly, eyes filled with a little mania. “You…can get me out of here, right? You’re really one of them. This place restored you. I want out. I’ll do anything. Get me out—”
“You will go,” the man said in a voice that was final. “If you think the King would stand by and allow one of the seven sins to roam free, you’re mistaken and foolish. Your intentions were to simply drop this one off, yes?”
“Yes, my lord,” Miliana replied, “but…I want to be human and get out of here. I don’t want to be this anymore. He’s the heir. He can make it happen.”
“Not anymore,” the man said then turned to look at her with a glare that made the death machine bow down. I would’ve shat myself it was directed at me. I liked this guy already. Not taking shit from any of these sadistic fucks. That’s why I didn’t feel bad for her. She sure as hell didn’t feel for Mack or anyone else she consumed.
I was curious though. Could it be possible that she was tired of the hunger? She seemed to control it during the walk. I must say—good thing the deadly mistress of doom had no idea of my identity. While the elite’s sword had real value, I had no real qualms about giving it away to stay alive.
“But…”
“Be gone,” the man said without raising his voice. “He is no longer in a position of power. Use your head. Why would he be here?”
Miliana nodded, seeming to deflate.
“Forgive me, my lord. I shall be going.” She shrunk to her kid form, looking a bit awkward carrying the sword as she walked away. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for surviving a threat as powerful as she.
“Come,” the man said. “You know who I am. It is time for you to learn some truths. And deliver a message to my son.”
“You’re letting me go?” I said, surprised.
“You see me as the enemy, narrowminded vision, but not the big picture,” he said.
“Well, growing up knowing you only as Demon King Ghost is kind of the reason why,” I said. I fought against the inner nervousness that wanted to make me shit myself.
He chuckled.
“That ridiculous nickname. Very well, you shall call me Ghost until after you’ve learn the truth. Without it, you will end up getting killed again, chained, and stuck down here. And only the king can remove a chain.”
He walked toward a very tall building—a mega version of the empire state building. I followed without saying anything else.
I still couldn’t believe that I…was trailing the one and only…Sin’s freaking father. And not dead! This will be a story the others would love to hear. Damn did I miss them.
Chapter Twenty-eight
I sat in silence and processed everything he told me. And I believed it. This is shit that I knew I wasn’t supposed to know. Insanity! Somehow, I knew FREAKING DANTE THE POET, was telling the truth.
We were in a conference room. He showed me a vision while speaking the tale. Something else came to mind too…I was sure he didn’t know but I did. The book. There was a possibility that it gave me the ability to create deity-trappers. Or at least gave me the drive to conjure one up.
The immense aura around Dante told me, not with words, but with an implanted hint in my head. I simply put two and two together. I could be wrong but…suddenly knowing how to construct an advance deity-negating circle couldn’t be just a mere coincidence based on the nature of this book, right?
I stuffed the knowledge of it in the back of my mind. As long as it was stuck down here, the damn thing threatened no one.
Everyone assumed Dante lied at odds with the king, but in fact, the opposite. To keep the ancient book imprisoned was his duty. The king didn’t want to lock him here, but couldn’t risk having the book escape into the open. He gave Dante the knowledge to at least build a place to live until the king found a way to destroy the tome, if it can be destroyed.
On top of that, the king gave him five years to spend on earth before the book’s essence became too much to continue holding down. Apparently, back in those times, the book’s powers increased by the day.
Dante hadn’t realized it until many years later. It’s a crazy test of his patience, but he’d have to endure it until the answers entered his mind.
“Before you go back up, to presumably get yourself killed again, I will train you,” Dante said, his voice giving me no choice. “Be warned that afterwards, you will always be partially in what you refer to as state three.”
I flinched. Was this guy reading my thoughts? Talk about invasive. But the training…training from Ghost himself. I could turn it into my weapon.
“Should I ask why you’re helping? What’s in it for you?” I said.
“You remaining alive long enough to give a letter to my son, for starts,” he replied.
An envelope manifested from nothing and landed in my hand. “Second, this meeting between you and I cannot be mere coincidence. Whether it is or not, I need you to be different when you go back. You’
ve got the eyes of someone who’s seen the hells of the place outside of this dimension. The depths. Now I will train you into a hardened soldier. I won’t keep you here long, but you must learn to stand up to those that tower above you. I’ll give you a start. When you get home, you’ll figure out the rest yourself. Your states as you call them are nothing but pieces of your true self. You’ll need them to face the corruption that kicked you down here. I do not know what they’re planning, but you can be sure that it could end life the way you know it.”
We wasted no time afterwards. He offered lunch, but I declined, fearing that one of his chefs poisoned the food. I wasn’t hungry but I pushed any emerging thoughts of food to the deepest corners of my mind. An ability of mine that was useful during my initial punishment—now was as a good time as any to put it to use.
Ghost’s…er, I mean Dante’s training made Amelia’s feel like something out of the boy scouts. He aimed to do whatever it took to get me into state three. Break me. The man would not listen to my “it’s impossible” excuses.
The routine went as followed: super combat training while fully exerting my tank, rapidly filling it then a simultaneous ordeal that consisted of mastering state two and breaking into three.
After several hours, Dante forced me to meditate, similar to how I did so with Mom. I wasn’t sure how much time passed of this training—the daylight never ended in this place.
Dante offered me water, which I had no choice but to accept. Even on the surface, I couldn’t ignore hydration. Fortunately, it was nice and ice cold. I could only assume he’d delete any minion who tried anything.
After the break, it was back to the training. Hours upon hours. Eventually, I gotten so used to state two that it no longer felt special.
Binding didn’t work on Dante. Not that I relied on it, but I’d fold that knowledge into the filing cabinets of my mental notes.
As I got up to fight what felt like round six hundred, something happened. My arms caught on fire. Yep. Didn’t feel anything, but they combusted. Before I could say anything, the flames vanished and hadn’t returned.
“Does this happen often in your dimension?” I asked while checking myself for burns. None.
“No, never seen such a thing nor were there any reports,” Dante replied. The pressure of his immense power was still strong, but I’ve gotten used to it. Maybe even absorbed some of the invisible essence, that is if it’s possible.
“Weird,” I said. “Let me try something.”
I focused and reached inside. There, I heard a voice. Her voice.
“Once I undo this lock, my son, there is no going back,” she said softly. “You will always remain partially in this state. I don’t know where this sudden control of your essence has come from, but it is time. Also…I’m glad you’re safe. I cannot sense of your location but it’s easier to communicate. I do not like that you’re drifting in a plane of the dead. Return to the human world.”
Mom’s presence vanished before I could say anything.
Then the pain came.
My nerves felt like they were being plucked one by one then flash fried. I clenched my teeth but as quickly as the pain arrived, it left. Knowledge entered my mind. A fuck load of essence flooded through my veins—so much that it felt intoxicating.
I focused, took a deep breath, and allowed the power to adjust itself. The meditation made this possible. Practice did make perfect.
“I see. You’re partially there,” Dante said. “Your eyes will probably glow when you get angry. Use it to exert intimidation over your foes or perhaps tease friends. You’ve finally stepped in the right direction. Unlock the state. Let’s wrap this training up.”
I nodded. It was finally time to go back to the human world. Back to Middleburg. Back home. I couldn’t wait to see Amelia again. Miliana appeared from nowhere in adult form, eyes locked on me. Dammit, just leave me alone already.
Dante folded his arms, clearly displeased to see the devil girl.
“You’re still here,” I said, not a question, just a statement.
“Fight me,” she said. “If I win, you take me with you. Make me human. I don’t want to eat anyone anymore. I don’t want to be here anymore.”
“I don’t—”
“It doesn’t matter how much you explain it to her,” Dante interrupted. “She’s got in her mind that you have the ability to undo all wrongs, turn her human. It’s not a fight you could easily win, if at all, but test that new state of yours. Prove me wrong and I’ll handle the rest. One good respawn should fix her up.”
“What happens to the people she’s eaten?” I asked, curious.
“Unfortunately, there’s no saving them. They’ll more than likely respawn someone in the depths. The chain on them will probably anchor them in their location.”
“That’s seriously messed up, but…it’s either let them remain as chewed food in your gut or free them up,” I said. Mack would appreciate it.
Miliana’s eyes were a bit frantic.
“You will uphold to your end of the deal.”
“You misunderstand the situation,” I said. “I don’t intend to lose.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
Miliana, Gluttony of the seven sins, one of the royals of the depths and the one being I hoped not to fight, rushed me before I realized the fight started.
I was sure it was over. Earth, what have I unleashed…. wait. I was blocking…with one hand. I blinked.
Even Dante’s eyes were wide. I didn’t get the chance to fully unlock state three. Miliana pulled back her hand, as if coming to a revelation. Dante laughed.
“I…I cannot win,” Miliana admitted then stomped. “I…I’m stuck down here. Forever with this curse. Never to be redeemed. Never to see the blue skies, to see what it’s like to live like them.”
Something seemed to break within her, as black light began to ooze out of her mouth and eyes rapidly. The city shook.
“What’s going on, Ghos—Dante?” I said.
He shrugged.
“It is still your fight. Your dialogue. Your call.”
“I’m not going to feel sorry for her if that’s what you think,” I said. “She sure didn’t when she ripped into everyone like fucking bloody sausages.”
“Your show,” Dante said. “I will observe. You may want to hurry. You wouldn’t escape the blast, even with ascending.”
Ah shit. I inhaled, exhaled, then for the first time, entered into the new state. A fiery heavenly-light burst around me. For a second there, I thought I lit myself on fire somehow.
Shaking off the thought, I mentally assessed my capabilities. I still had my previous abilities, but…wait. A quick trick of time and space and I could go intangible for a few seconds. That’s probably one of Conus’s old tricks I adopted. There’s something else I could do, something he can’t, but I’d have to figure it out. This state was just too new to me.
I quick-ascended to Miliana and then peeked inside her psyche. Normally I had no control over this ability. It was also only meant to work on humans.
Despite all that she’s done. Despite my twitchy fingers to denotate this psycho, as we’d probably be better off without her, I peeked. She mentioned a curse and a starvation for redemption. Very odd desires for a devil.
Unfortunately, I saw no past. Inside the psyche was a terrifying black void, emptiness, and a young woman seated on a floating rocky platform. Tears flowed from her eyes like rivers. Then the crying turned into emptiness.
“Aren’t devils evil spirits?” I said.
“Of course,” Dante answered. “Something she saw in you made her sick of the power game.”
I shook my head.
“No, it’s beyond that. Makes me question if she’s truly a devil or something else.” I paused in thought. It took only a couple of seconds for me to realize I just didn’t care for this situation. I looked Dante in the eyes, resolute. “I blew up the earth twice. I’m the last person that should be casting judgments, even to her. However.” I pre
ssed a hand on her stomach and released the essence. “In about ten minutes, you’re going to vomit every soul you’ve swallowed, all at once. Fully restored. And you’ll feel the pain of it. You’ll feel what they’ve went through, even if they’re the vilest people in existence. Afterwards, return to Ghost. Besides serving me indefinitely, you’ll serve under him for a few years. He’ll send you to the surface afterwards. You’ll live there for some more years, then…Ghost will determine if you’re ready for redemption. He can let me know through his son. If you are, then I’ll personally send you through reincarnation. That’s the only deal you’re getting from me. No easy card, Gluttony of the seven sins.”
The light show ceased, lucidity returning to her eyes.
“You mean it,” she said softly. “Is it really a shot for redemption?”
“Yep. Also, give me back that sword.”
She returned it without a moment of hesitation. I opened a pocket dimension and tossed the thing inside for examination later.
“That sword,” Dante said. “Epex, you will ask my son about the seven swords that interrupt reality. He will know about your own then tell you what it means to possess it.”
“Seven swords that interrupt reality?” I asked as I exhaled, letting my state return to semi-three. There really was no going back.
“Not now—it’s time for you to go back.” He turned to Miliana. “As for you, out of my city. Go vomit the souls somewhere far.”
“There’s someone named Mackarth,” I said. “He’s a blue guy who’s from a realm that I don’t know. Let him live in this city. I don’t know his full story—he seemed sincere when he said he was betrayed. Cut him some slack. I can’t do anything about his chain though.”
“You heard him,” Dante said to Miliana. “It’s your path to redemption. Get him to the city, arrange an apartment and a place of employment. It’s his choice to accept or sulk.”
Miliana bowed then hurried off. When she was gone, Dante turned back to me. “Remember that whatever hope you installed in that woman is your responsibility. To give one of the seven this…Keep it in mind.”
Till the Last Breath Page 13