SFX: whummm… whummm… whummm…
A deep vibration hums through the Glass Tower's core — like a heartbeat echoing in reverse.
The screen flickers between reality and void.
Ada's voice fades into static. Raen's silhouette dissolves in flickering light.
SFX: shhhhkkkt—!!!
Dante's breathing slows. His hands tremble.
The world bends — glass melting into liquid mirrors around him.
Narrator (soft, almost whispering):
"When fear takes root… it feeds on reflection."
He blinks — and suddenly, he's standing in a world made entirely of fractured glass and drifting memories.
Every step echoes like shattering crystal.
Scene 2 — Into the Shard
SFX: crack—crack—crack!
The floor beneath him forms with every step — a walkway of floating shards suspended in a black void.
Reflections of Dante scatter across them — each reflection showing a different version of himself.
Some angry. Some broken. Some smiling.
Reflection 1 (whisper): "You never believed in them."
Reflection 2: "You fight because you're afraid to stop."
Reflection 3: "You're just a vessel — nothing more."
Dante grits his teeth.
Dante: "Shut up… you're not real."
The shards vibrate — whispering in hundreds of overlapping tones.
SFX: vvvvvvvvvrrrrrrmmmmmmm—
Scene 3 — The Crimson Memory
He approaches a suspended fragment — glowing deep red. Inside it, he sees a younger version of himself kneeling in the snow, crying beside a lifeless figure.
Dante (quietly): "That day…"
The child looks up — but its eyes are empty.
Child Dante (echoing): "You promised me… we wouldn't be afraid again."
SFX: crack—!
The shard splinters outward, bleeding light. The entire void trembles.
A dark, voice-like vibration forms behind him.
Shard Voice (low, distorted):
"And yet… you are still afraid. That's why I found you."
Dante (turning around): "You again. Show yourself!"
The void ripples — a silhouette of a humanoid shape made of broken glass rises, its body glowing from within like molten crystal.
Its voice echoes in layered tones — male, female, child, ancient.
Shard Entity: "I am what you buried… your promise turned to fear."
Scene 4 — The Confrontation
SFX: THOOM—!
Shockwaves ripple as Dante's aura flares, blue energy pushing against the crimson haze.
Dante: "You don't belong in me!"
Shard Entity: "On the contrary… I was born from you."
The entity raises its hand — glass shards swirl into a spear-like shape.
It thrusts —
SFX: WHOOSH—CLANG!
Dante blocks it with raw cursed energy, sparks flying in the air.
Dante (gritting teeth): "Then I'll bury you again!"
Shard Entity (smiling through cracks):
"You can't kill what was born from your fear.
Every time you run… I grow stronger."
SFX: KRRRSHHH! — The shards explode around them, forming a storm of memories — Dante's fights, losses, betrayals.
Each image screams as it spins.
Scene 5 — Truth of the Shard
Dante drops to his knees as the images surround him.
Child Dante appears again — this time with a faint red glow behind his eyes.
Child Dante: "You promised to never fear again… so I carried your fear for you."
Dante (confused): "You— what are you saying?"
Shard Entity (whispering in his ear):
"I am your promise… to never be weak again."
The entity steps back, spreading its arms.
Its voice becomes calm — almost sympathetic.
"You didn't find me, Dante.
You made me."
Dante's eyes widen — realization and dread mixing.
SFX: heartbeat… heartbeat… heartbeat…
Scene 6 — The Choice
The void begins to crack — red and blue light splitting across the horizon.
The shards around him float — one glowing red, one blue.
Shard Entity: "You can end me now… and lose the strength I gave you.
Or embrace me… and never fear again."
Dante (breathing heavily): "If I accept you… I lose myself."
Shard Entity (smiling): "No. You become what you were meant to be."
SFX: whoooooosh—!!!
Energy whirls around him — his hand trembles between light and darkness.
Narrator (voice-over):
"In the heart of fear lies a promise — to destroy what you love, or to become what you fear."
Dante closes his eyes.
Dante (quietly): "Then I'll make a new promise…"
He thrusts his hand into his chest — the lights converge.
SFX: THOOMMMMMM—!!
The void implodes.
Scene 7 — Return
SFX: gasp—!
Dante jolts awake in the real world, breathing heavily, cold sweat dripping down his face.
Ada and Raen stand nearby, watching through the containment glass.
Raen: "He's awake."
Ada (low, uncertain): "But… which side of him came back?"
Dante looks up, his eyes glowing faintly crimson-blue, a calm smirk on his lips.
Dante: "Don't worry…"
He stands slowly.
Dante: "…I kept my promise."
SFX: whummm— — the tower's glass pulses once, echoing his heartbeat.