The New Realization

10 years had passed by. Dante and Aki found a new life abandoning who they were. No longer royalty and no longer an assassin, they both had discovered a new purpose in life. Drowning in misery for 28 years withstanding brutal samurai and assassination training, he escaped and found a way out. Aki gave birth to 3 kids, which became the backbone to what they had become.

Dante: “I’ll work harder than ever to protect this family.”

Aki sat in the field of flowers that surrounded their house. Dante walked up to her and put a blue flower in her hair.

Dante: “Flowers look gorgeous on you…I’ll be back. I’m going to go get dinner from the store.”

Aki: “Wait, can you take Goro with you? He’s inside playing with his toys.”

Dante: “Yeah, that’s fine. We’ll be back.”

Dante took his 9 year old son with him on this small adventure in a large world.

Dante: “You want to get some broccoli Goro?”

Goro: “Blah! I hate vegetables!”

Dante: “I know. I know, but we need vegetables to get strong.”

Goro: “I don’t care. They’re gross!”

Dante: “Okay. Well your mother and I will eat some. One day I will make you try them. You’ll like them when you're older, that’s a promise.”

Dante and Goro headed back climbing back up the mountain when suddenly Goro did not feel so well.

Goro: “Dad?”

Dante: “Yeah, son?”

Goro: “I don’t feel so good.”

Dante: “What’s the matter? Your stomach? Your head?”

Goro: “I…Don’t know. I feel really weak.”

Dante: “That’s okay. Here, I can carry you the rest of the way.”

Goro began to cough up blood, but it was a dark blue color. “Goro!” Dante screamed out with a passion like never before.

Goro: “Father. Wh-What’s going on?”

Dante had a look on his face more worried than he had ever been in his life. A purple and black portal opened in front of them. He backed away swiftly with Goro. Red glowing teeth and eyes appeared…smiling…laughing. He blinked once in the time the portal had been opened, and in that moment he opened his eyes and awoke in a large sewer unfamiliar to him.

Dante: “Where…am I?”

He knew right away that he wasn’t in Japan. He had killed a lot of people and was always prepared for the worst outcomes, but he thought to himself, ‘This isn’t Earth. This isn’t anywhere. What is going on?’

Dante: “Goro! Goro! Where are you? Goro!”

He looked at himself and realized he was not who he thought he was. He had the skin of a young boy, hair and eyes as white as snow, and ragged and torn clothes.

Dante looked around in curiosity. He was in a huge sewer with people lined up against the walls. He walked up the line and saw someone familiar shocked at the sight. “Aki!” he screamed. He saw his wife on the cusp of death coughing up blood.

Dante: “Aki! Stay with me! Someone help! Why are you all standing there? Help me!”

Dante looked back at Aki and saw nothing. ‘What?’ Dante questioned in his head. He looked up and down the sewers. All but 1 person in a dark green hood disappeared. Unable to see his face, Dante’s intuition kicked in and he ran. He could sense that the man was in control of whatever was going on. He was much stronger than him. ‘What is going on? Is this really happening?’ Tears ran down his face at the thought of his wife and son. ‘Goro! Goro!’

Dante ran until he found a ladder. He climbed it, deciding to head to the surface to escape what was going on. He opened the hatch, which led him to a city unknown to him, but seemed peaceful and the complete opposite of the sewers.

As a man walked by with his wife, Dante questioned him and his whereabouts.

Dante: “Hey! Where am I?! What is this?!”

???: “Easy kid. You’re in lesserCue City. You don’t look so good. Here, take some cash and go get yourself cleaned up.”

Dante: “Where is my son?! Tell me!”

???: “Look kid. I don’t know who you are, but you’re talking to the wrong person. Run off now before things start getting serious.”

He didn’t trust anything or anyone.

Dante: “Goro…Goro. Please. Someone…”

Dante cried until his body wouldn’t let out any more tears. ‘I have to focus. I don’t know what’s happening, but I need to know to get my family back. LesserCue City? There was never a place in Japan named LesserCue? Why am I a completely different person? Maybe I should ask someone around for help. Maybe a map or something? There has to be something.’

Dante visited one of the local shops to question what was happening. All he cared about was getting back to his wife and kids. He asked a local vendor in a harsh voice.

Dante: “Hey! What is this place?”

The vendor didn’t respond, so Dante yelled again, but there was still no response.

Dante: “Hey! What is this place!”

Dante grabbed an apple on the table and said, “Fine, then I'm eating this!” He went to take a bite, but realized the apple was fake. ‘What? Why is this fake?’ All the food was fake. He looked around and noticed all the vendors seemed to be asleep. He jumped over the stand and started to shake the man.

Dante: “Hey! Wake up! I need to get back to my wife and kids! I need your help!”

Dante started to punch the man. He noticed a big difference in this new body of his and how weak it was. Dante threw the man off the chair onto the ground and noticed a hole as big as a grapefruit in the back of his head. He jumped back in shock.

Dante: “He…Hey. Wh-What the hell?.”

In fear of not knowing what to do and having such a disadvantage, he yet again ran. ‘What is going on! First the sewers, now this! None of this makes sense!’

Dante: “Aki! Can you hear me Aki?!”

He ran and ran until he was away from that town. He calmed his thoughts as he continued to run. ‘Now that I think about it…that man and his wife were the only people that moved or talked in that town. How did I not notice that? Everyone else in my sight was standing still. Forget him, he’ll die like the rest of them there for not helping me. Bastard.’

Dante tripped over a rock in the ground lost in thought and realized he was in a huge forest. A little girl with wings much like a fairy in fictional books he read appeared before him, her hand reaching out. “W-Who are you?” Dante asked as he took her hand.

The little girl didn’t respond. She just smiled and stared at Dante. Dante was confused and started shivering for some reason.

Dante: “Umm…I don’t know who you are, but I’m looking for a woman named Aki. She has long black hair and blue eyes.”

Dante could feel the shivering getting worse and called out softly, “Do you know where sh…” as he fell to the ground feeling his eyes shuttering and mouth quivering.

The little girl in front of him suddenly turned into a dark, black figure. A black square cube appeared behind her. She pulled out a long pitch black sword with eyes imprinted all over it. Dante could no longer move and felt paralyzed trying to call for help whilst only being able to whisper. The little girl had still not said a word as she swung her sword forward to move the cube towards Dante. It hovered over his head.

Dante: “A-Aki…”

Suddenly, a flash of blue light appeared from the sky engulfing the dark figure and cube. A man with blue hair, blue eyes, and blue lines running down his face sat down in front of Dante.

???: “How are you doing kid? My name’s Arata. Don’t know what you’re doing out here. You’re in Death’s Isle right now. Those dark figures that look like little fairies are all over the place. Wouldn’t get too close like you did. They’ll put you in Hunger Realms to use you as food. Don’t they teach you this in school? I guess kids would rather study magic than go to school nowadays…Her paralysis got to you good. Surprised you hung on for this long…Although, I can see why…Anyways, I’ll send you to the nearest place for help. A man by the name of Ren will take care of you. Tell him Arata will pay the fee. I would do it myself, but I’m a little busy.”

And with that, Dante fell through the ground through blue flashing lights. He disappeared, but caught a glimpse of the man smiling with his thumb up before he passed out.