"How do I gain full control over my body?" the look-alike of Dante says.
Everything goes silent. Dante, Rane and Maya do not hear anything; the look-alike, on the other hand, smiles as if in celebration of victory.
"It must only answer the person who asks," Rane concluded.
Dante started to panic; he did not want to lose control of his own body. He knew deep down in his heart that the boy who looked just like him was his other personality. This scared Dante; he didn't want to hurt more people. He didn't wish for Rane and Maya to be hurt.
"Speak now the second truth you wish to uncover." The voice demanded, and it sent chills down Maya's spine.
"W-Where can I find my sister?" Maya asks; she was, in truth, scared of the mysterious voice.
Maya gasps. Tears begin to flow down her face. It took Dante and Rane a moment before they realised that these were not tears of sadness, but rather, they were happy tears. Tears that showed the relief of an elder sister who had discovered her only family was alive.
"The next one, speak now" The voice echoed throughout the vast space.
"Where can I find an ascendancy stone?" Rane mumbles under her breath, taking caution to ensure that Dante and Maya do not hear her question.
Dante turns his attention to his other personality. They stare at each other. Dante's copy walks towards him with a serious expression.
"I hope we can become the best of friends. I can make sure you never lose anyone ever again. I will have power beyond your wildest dreams."He said without any emotion, then, in almost a mocking tone, "Think about it, my other half."
He then vanished without leaving a trace. He disappeared from the heavenly realm.
Soon after, so did Maya. Rane followed. Dante was left there all alone. He was alone with that voice. Maya and Rane were back in the wasteland; however, the pyramid had begun to shake. It shook very violently. The ash around it had begun to move away from it, as if it were trying to escape. The pyramid began to rise. Maya and Rane watched as what they thought was the entire structure revealed itself to be only the point of a huge monolith.
From the point of the monolith, the girls could see that it had begun to turn black.
"Child, you are a mystery, even to me. I knew of your birth as a human, yet I cannot see your future. I know of your pain and suffering, yet I cannot begin to comprehend anything after your death. By all laws and powers, you should not be breathing, but here you stand. I am but a fraction of my consciousness, but I know that you are an anomaly. You defy all. I know nothing more than this. Beware of your other self. Beware of your own power. Beware of your friend. Beware."
The voice did not sound as noble as it did before. It seemed on edge and anxious. Fearful almost.
Dante returned to the wasteland. He was surprised to see the monolith towering over him. Moments after Dante's return. The monolith had completely changed its colour from the purest of white to the most sinister of black. Once it had finished its change, a beam of some kind had shot up from the top of the monolith. It was as black as the rest of the monolith.
The three could feel the energy from the beam, even from this distance. The beam, which was as wide as the huge monolith, began to fade and lose its power. It had stopped completely not long after. However, once the energy had ceased, so did the monolith. It began to crack, and in time, it collapsed. There was some sort of crystal which filled the inside of the monolith.
Dante could not get the words of the voice out of his head.
What could it mean? Beware of my friend? Did it mean Rane?
The longer Dante had thought about it, the more he realised that Rane had been hiding something. She did not seem as though she trusted either Maya or him.
Rane picked up some of the fragments of the monolith that had been scattered across the ground. The crystal was a pale pink colour.
"Halocrystal"? Maya seemed as though she recognised it.
"What is it?" Rane asked, unsure of why Maya knew what it was.
It seemed Rane also knew of the crystal.
"It's used to amplify the ability of ascendants for a short period of time. You need to eat it, though." Maya explained.
"And how exactly did you come across that knowledge?" Rane continues, pressing Maya for answers.
"It's common knowledge, isn't it? Everyone knows about it." Rane is in disbelief.
It was a highly classified secret back in our time, Rane thought.
"Dante, put this in the satchel." She handed him the crystal.
Dante noticed, as he opened the satchel, that they were running low on food and water.
"By the way, Maya, where is your sister?" Dante asks Maya.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. She is in Housend." Maya replies ecstatically; it is clear she cannot wait to see her sister.
"We should make our way there, then", Dante says to Rane.
"Yes, perhaps, but first I would like to go to Porden. There is something I need to do there. We could get a ship from there to the capital. It would save us a lot of effort, also."
They agreed.
Maya, Dante and Rane all headed East towards Porden. The walk would be long and boring, that much was clear to the three of them, yet Maya and Dante were excited. Maya was excited to see her sister again, while Dante was excited to help Maya.
The walk is a long one.
In only two days, the three made it out of the wasteland and could once again see lush green fields. The grass flowed like a crowd of people, being pushed gently by the breeze. The wind itself tugged on hair and clothing as it passed. The sun, which encompassed all, felt like it shone only on the three of them. It was a kind sensation, akin to a mother's touch.
A forest in the distance. It was what the three needed. They had run low on food and were nearly out of it entirely. Hopefully, wildlife resided within the forest. That was what they needed.
Surrounding the forest was a large display of wild flowers. Every one of them was beautiful and unique. All of them were colourful, and the smell warmed the soul.
They walked through the flowers on their way into the forest.
Unknown to the three travellers, however, the flowers had moved behind them.
From in between the petals, teeth emerged. The eerie jaws salivated, yearning for food.
Unaware, Maya, Dante and Rane had walked into a perilous situation.
A hungry forest awaited them.