20. Dante
20
Dante
D ante crouched near the cavern’s entrance, brushing his fingers against the rocky ground as he studied the jagged path ahead. The artifact map they’d stolen had led them here—an unmarked location deep in the Ironspire Mountains. The jagged peaks loomed over them, their dark silhouettes cutting sharply against the moonlit sky.
Sebastian stopped a few steps behind him, crossing his arms as he leaned casually against a boulder. His silver-gray eyes flicked to Dante, and a smirk tugged at his lips. “I’m honestly impressed you can bend like that right now.”
Dante paused, shooting a glare over his shoulder. “I’m fine.”
Sebastian chuckled, his gaze playful. “Sure you are. You just winced a little getting down there.”
“Do you want me to find this thing or not?” Dante said, turning his focus back to the ground as he adjusted his stance. “Besides, you’re the one who—”
“Don’t blame me,” Sebastian cut in, his grin widening. “You seemed eager enough last night.”
Dante huffed, his amber eyes narrowing as he muttered, “Should’ve throttled you when I had the chance.”
Sebastian’s smirk didn’t falter as he crouched beside him. “You’re welcome to try, but I think we both know how that’ll end.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Dante shot back, though the edge in his tone was softened by the way his lips twitched, threatened to betray his irritation.
“On a more serious note, are you sure about this?” Sebastian asked, his silver-gray eyes scanning the landscape behind them. “Orion wasn’t thrilled about us running off without backup.”
Dante shrugged, his amber eyes glinting as he straightened. “He’ll get over it. The Heralds would’ve beaten us here by now. And I screwed up last mission. So, I want to find this artifact, make it right.”
Sebastian exhaled, shaking his head as he adjusted the cuffs of his coat. “Let’s hope you’re right. Let’s just be careful.”
The cavern’s entrance yawned ahead of them, jagged and foreboding. Energy in the air prickled against his skin, both thrilling and unsettling. He flexed his fingers, fire sparking in his palm before he extinguished it, releasing some of the tension building up.
“Let’s go,” Dante said.
Sebastian gestured toward the sigils etched into the rock near the entrance. Their glow pulsed softly, tendrils of energy reaching outward like vines. “If this is where it’s hidden, I’m more surprised it wasn’t found already.”
Dante didn’t respond, stepping toward the entrance with measured steps. His fire lit the way as they walked along the cave, heat rising with every step. Sigils on the walls grew brighter the deeper they went, a latent power humming at the edge of his senses.
Sebastian followed closely, his gaze flicking between the glowing patterns and the uneven ground beneath their feet. “I’m not saying I’m superstitious, but this place feels like it’s waiting for something.”
“Or someone,” Dante said, his tone light but carrying an edge. He glanced at Sebastian, gesturing to himself with a small shrug. “It’s the Inferno Blade, right? Fire? Maybe it’s waiting for me.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical but amused. “Let’s hope it’s not picky.”
Dante stepped closer to the glowing sigils, his flames flickering instinctively to life in his palm. The energy in the chamber pulsed in response, a subtle rhythm that seemed to draw his magic forward. His chest tightened as the sensation grew, the pull unmistakable. It wasn’t just the magic in the air—it felt like the Blade itself was reaching for him. He tightened his grip on his power, keeping the flames steady as his amber eyes narrowed. “It’s reacting to me,” he muttered, his tone quieter now, but laced with certainty. “This thing wants fire.”
Sebastian’s expression shifted, his gaze sharpening as he studied Dante. “Or it’s trying to lure you in.”
Dante tilted his head, his focus never leaving the glowing sigils. “Maybe. But we won’t know unless I try.”
The tunnel opened into a vast chamber, the space illuminated by the shifting glow of the sigils covering every surface. They climbed the walls in intricate patterns, their energy pulsing toward a central point—a pedestal rising from the center of the room. Its smooth, dark surface gleamed in the light, and the distortion of heat shimmered around it.
“This is it,” Dante said, steady with conviction as he approached the pedestal.
Sebastian stayed a step behind, his sharp gaze lingering on the sigils. “It certainly looks the part,” he said, his tone measured. “But if this is it, then we’re the first ones here.”
“Exactly,” Dante said, glancing back at him. “Which is why we don’t waste time.”
Dante stepped closer to the pedestal, his flames flickering brighter as his magic thrummed beneath his skin. Each step brought a strange, almost electric pull, the sigils reacting to his presence. His focus narrowed, his gaze locked on the smooth, obsidian-like surface in front of him.
Behind him, Sebastian’s steps slowed. “Something’s off about these sigils. They’re layered differently—like they’re doing more than just holding magic.”
Dante rolled his eyes but didn’t glance back. “You said that already. And I already said, I’ll figure it out.” He extended a hand, his flames hovering closer to the pedestal. The glow of the sigils climbed the walls in jagged patterns, pulsing in time with the steady rhythm of his magic.
“I don’t like this. Dante, we should wait.”
“I’ve got it under control,” Dante said, his amber eyes narrowing as he knelt beside the pedestal. His fire sparked in response, brighter now, hotter, as if the energy of the chamber were feeding into it. The pull became stronger, almost undeniable.
A jolt ran up his arm as his flames brushed the pedestal. He jerked back, his hand flexing as a sudden surge of heat licked at his skin. The sigils on the walls blazed brighter, their energy shifting in jagged bursts that made his magic flare uncontrollably.
“Whoa!” Dante staggered, his footing unsteady as the pedestal hummed with life. “Did you see that? It’s responding to me. I can feel it—”
A crackling vibration filled the chamber as the sigils erupted into motion, their patterns shifting and connecting in a spiral of blinding light. Dante barely had time to react before energy surged outward, slamming into him like a tidal wave. Pain ripped through his side as he hit the ground hard, his fire bursting out in a wild, uncontrolled arc.
“Dante!” Sebastian shouted, but Dante couldn’t look up. His magic surged uncontrollably, the flames spreading across the chamber as if trying to fight the trap that had been triggered. The pedestal pulsed, its surface now etched with glowing marks that burned into his vision.
Before he could regain control, the floor beneath him shuddered. The stone split open with a violent crack, the ground crumbling beneath his feet. He reached out instinctively, his flames lashing out to anchor himself, but the force was too strong. The energy pulled at him, dragging him downward into the chasm that had opened beneath the pedestal.
“Sebastian!” Dante shouted as he fought against the pull of energy dragging him downward. His hands clawed at the crumbling edges of the stone, his flames flaring wildly, but nothing held. He glanced up, his amber eyes locking onto Sebastian’s silver-gray gaze, sharp with fear.
Sebastian was already moving, one hand outstretched as a controlled gust of air surged toward Dante, wrapping around him in an attempt to slow the descent. “Hold on!” Sebastian shouted, his other hand flicking, sending another wave of air to steady the unstable platform.
Dante gritted his teeth, straining as he tried to anchor himself against the relentless pull. “It’s not working!” His flames sputtering as the sigils pulsed again, their energy overwhelming everything else.
Sebastian’s jaw tightened, his focus unshaken as he stepped closer to the crumbling edge. He crouched, reaching out further, his air magic forming a barrier to counter the swirling energy. “Take my hand!”
Dante stretched toward him, his flames flickering weakly as his strength faltered. Their fingers nearly brushed, Sebastian’s magic crackling against him, but the pull intensified. The stone beneath Sebastian’s feet shifted dangerously, forcing him to steady himself.
“Dante!” Sebastian shouted as his silver-gray eyes filled with desperate determination. He sent another surge of air toward Dante, but the gap yawned wider, another tidal wave of energy rocking the cavern.
Their connection broke as that pull finally overwhelmed him. Dante held Sebastian’s gaze for a fleeting moment—Sebastian reaching, fighting, and refusing to give up—before the chasm swallowed him whole, plunging him into the unknown.
***
Heat pressed against His skin as consciousness crept back in, sluggish and disoriented. Pain lanced through his skull, sharp and pulsing, and the coppery tang of blood lingered at the edge of his awareness. He winced, the movement sending another jolt of agony through his head as his fingers twitched against the rough stone beneath him.
He opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the fiery glow that filled the chamber, and groaned at the brightness. His vision swam for a moment, nausea rolling in his stomach, but he pushed himself up.
Warmth trickled down his cheek, and he swiped at it, his fingers coming back covered in blood. He gingerly touched his head, feeling a cut along his temple that was bleeding. “Fuck,” he groaned.
But his focus wavered, an ache in his ribs and a pounding in his head making it hard to concentrate.
Flames lined the chamber’s edges, their motion fluid and unnervingly alive, casting flickering patterns of orange and gold across the blackened walls. His breath came shallow, each inhale sharp against the bruising that spread along his side. He gritted his teeth and shifted, testing his limbs. The deep ache in his shoulder and ribs confirmed he’d taken a brutal fall, but his legs held steady as he rose unsteadily to his feet.
The chamber stretched high and wide, its walls crawling with glowing sigils that shifted like living things. Trails of fire spiraled across the floor, converging at a single point in the center of the room. Atop a jagged pedestal of blackened stone, a sword rested, its presence commanding.
The weapon glimmered like it’d been forged from molten lava, its intricate etchings glowing with a fiery inner light. Heat radiated from it—not just a physical warmth but something more profound, a magnetic pull that stirred his fire magic. Flames sparked weakly in his palm, reacting instinctively to the weapon’s presence.
His body ached, his vision swimming again briefly, but the fire within him burned brighter in response.
Dante steadied himself, his amber eyes narrowing on the sword as he took a step forward, his limbs heavy but resolute. Flames around the pedestal rippled, as if in acknowledgment, their energy rising and reaching for him in return.
“Who dares approach?” Words resonated through the chamber, not spoken but felt, vibrating through the very air. The flames surged higher, licking the walls as sigils pulsed in time with the voice.
Dante swallowed against the nausea curling in his stomach, his shoulders straightening despite the throbbing pain. “Dante Reed,” he said. “I came for the Inferno Blade.”
Fire around the pedestal flared, surging higher as the chamber vibrated with an unseen force. Heat pressed against his skin, unrelenting, as that voice echoed again, cutting through the suffocating tension. “To claim the Inferno Blade, you must prove yourself worthy. Are you prepared to face your trial?”
Dante froze, its words slamming into him like a physical blow. Trial? No one had mentioned anything about a damned trial. He gritted his teeth, the throbbing pain in sharpening as challenge loomed over him. His amber eyes locked on the sword, its fiery glow burning brighter as if waiting for him to answer.
His instincts urged caution, but something deeper—primal and unrelenting—pushed him forward. He straightened and he squared his shoulders against the blazing energy rippling through the chamber. “I didn’t come this far to back down,” he said. “I’ll face it.”
Flames coiled tighter, heat rising in waves that made his skin prickle. Sigils along the walls twisted and shifted, their glow intensifying into blinding patterns that pulsed with a rhythm he could feel in his chest. His magic stirred in response, flickering weakly at first but growing stronger, feeding on the energy saturating the air.
As the trial began, the Blade’s glow intensified, its fiery patterns coming alive. Flames around the pedestal roared to life, circling him like a predator closing in on its prey. His breath came faster, his fire surging in response as he braced himself for what was to come.