The Divine Physician's Rebirth: Ascension from Silverbrook

Chapter 8: Fear

“What if I don't?” Dante held the guy's arm tight, staying cool.

“Dante!” Theo tried to warn him with his eyes.

Zara also tugged at Dante's sleeve, looking worried.

But Dante didn't budge. He smirked a little, looking at the dude named William.

William's face got red. “You wanna die? Let go!”

He tried to pull his arm back, putting all his weight into it. But his arm wouldn't move, like it was stuck in a metal grip.

“W... what?”

William was freaked out. He felt like something bad was about to happen.

“You want your hand back? Is that it?” Dante scoffed, gripped William's wrist tighter, and twisted it hard.

Crack!

A sickening sound ripped through the clinic as William's wrist broke, his palm twisted upwards at a weird angle.

“Aaaahhhh—!” William's scream was super loud.

“Can't even handle that?” Dante's voice was cold. He didn't stop. He grabbed William's messed-up hand and twisted it the other way.

Everyone watched in horror as William's right hand was twisted a full 180 degrees. Muscles snapped, bones crunched, and bits of bone stuck out through the ripped skin. Blood poured everywhere. The hand now hung limp, facing down.

William was in so much pain he was shaking all over, covered in sweat. He curled up on the floor, eyes rolling back. All his earlier attitude was gone.

“Holy crap, William!” The two thugs who came with him just stood there, stunned.

But then their faces twisted with anger. They each pulled out a pipe from behind their backs and charged at Dante.

“Ah!” Zara screamed, covering her eyes.

Dante just curled his lip. Instead of backing away, he stepped forward and kicked the long-haired thug on his left in the jaw, super fast.

The kick was quick and made a whistling sound. The thug didn't even see it coming. His head snapped back with a crunch. A bunch of teeth, mixed with blood, flew out of his mouth. He stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, unable to get up.

The other thug was totally frozen by what he saw and the smell of blood. His hands shook as he held the pipe. His legs were shaking so bad he couldn't even run. He stared at Dante like he was looking at death himself.

Dante walked over to him slowly, his boots the only sound in the quiet. He looked cold, his eyes steady as he reached out and grabbed the thug's throat without effort. He lifted the guy off the ground, the thug kicking as he struggled to breathe. Dante said, “Get your guys out of here. And no more 'protection money.'”

The thug's eyes bulged, and he panicked as he couldn't get air. He shook his head and tried to break free. He made gurgling noises, begging for mercy. His face turned purple, and he looked at Dante with total fear.

“O-okay...” he choked out.

After a long time, the thug managed to drag his groaning friends over his shoulders. He stumbled out of the clinic, looking scared, and dragging his buddies with him. He was freaking out and wanted to get away from the nightmare as fast as possible.

“Dante...” Zara's voice was quiet, but it sounded scared to death. Her legs gave way, and she grabbed Dante's arm. She almost fell against him, shaking from the shock.

Dante turned to her, looking a little softer. “It's okay, Zara. Don't be scared,” he said, his voice calm. He helped her sit down, guiding her to a chair. He patted her shoulder. “You're safe now,” he said gently, trying to calm her down.

“Ah!” Theo sighed, looking annoyed. He shook his head, glancing at the door the thug ran through. “We're done for now Dante,” he muttered, worried.

Dante smirked, rolling his eye. “They're just local punks,” he said. “Don't worry about them. If this were my world, I'd have dusted them already.”

Theo's eyes widened at Dante's coldness. “But they're with Daniel's gang, Dante!” He said, scared. “Those guys are thugs—completely lawless! Nobody messes with them around here. They'll…” he paused, “—kill us all!”

Dante sighed and waved his hand. “Don't worry. As long as I'm here, nobody will hurt you,” he said. He looked at Theo, telling him to shut up and eat. “Now eat,” he said, “no arguing.”

After the meal, Dante prepared a potion. He had messed with Daniel's gang, and now he needed to work.

Sitting on his bed, he drank the potion, feeling the burn. He focused on his energy, trying to get his power back. This time, he felt cleaner, and the energy felt good, like it was healing his body. But it still hurt like hell.

As he got lost in his meditation, something broke through—a quiet sob. He listened, trying to hear what was going on.

Then he heard it again, a sad sound. It was coming from Zara’s room.

Dante stood up quietly and walked to her door. He knocked softly and said, “Zara?”

He heard footsteps, and the door opened. Zara stood there, crying. When she saw him, she started crying even more and hugged him tight. “Dante... I'm scared to sleep! Those Daniel's gang guys… they're like devils,” she said, terrified.

Dante felt bad for her. He hugged her back and picked her up. He carried her to her bed and sat down next to her. “Silly, the devil ain't got'n near you. Why are you still scared? With me here, you got nothing to fear.”

Zara held on tight, breathing hard. She felt safe and protected. Even though she knew it was weird, she didn't want to let go.  

Dante felt her body against his—soft. Her chest pressed against him, her waist in his hands. She smelled really good, and his heart was racing. He tried to ignore it.

Zara pressed her face against him, feeling his heartbeat. She felt safe. And even though it was strange, she didn’t want to let go. Not yet. Not when she felt that she finally had peace in his arms.