Transcendental Cyber God

Chapter Nine

Dante ran like hell itself was on his tail. And Crystal followed suit. He had no idea why they were running, but seeing that look on Crystal's face, he had a vague idea.

Something was coming—something big, something terrible.

"Why are we running?" Dante asked after a while, and Crystal cocked her head to the side in a gesture of pure confusion.

"Because I said so?" She replied flippantly, and Dante shook his head, wondering who he'd somehow ended up entangled with.

The dark skies seemed foreboding, even though Dante couldn't pinpoint what made it so. He ran through the rough terrain, his heart almost jumping out of his chest.

"It's here," Crystal said, her voice having a defeated feel to it. Dante wasn't sure he could get used to seeing her in such a light.

"It's just the darkness," Dante tried to say, but she grabbed his wrist and placed her hand on his mouth while ducking into a carven that seemed to have materialised from nowhere.

"What—" Dante tried to speak, but Crystal pressed her palm against his mouth again, promptly silencing him for the time being.

The darkness came like rolling thunder; he'd never seen anything like it. It was as though a hulking mass of darkness and malevolence walked, a sentient being that made Dante's knees knock together.

We're dead, we're so very dead.

"This is what the darkness is like here. This is what it means to call forth the night." Crystal said, her voice barely a whisper. He didn't worry that she was pressed against him in a very provocative way, no. That wasn't the time for such tomfoolery.

"The guardian of this place and the reason nobody can leave is that," Crystal motioned at the rolling mass of darkness, and Dante felt goosebumps dot his skin.

How does one fight the darkness?

"I've been here longer than most, and one thing I need you to understand is we aren't special. We will not suddenly stumble upon an epiphany that'll make everything better. So, let's not entertain the notion. I know you came here bright-eyed and maybe angry at the world. Here, your anger dies. Here, everything dies."

Dante was confounded. But he didn't say a word; there was nothing to say. So, he stayed in the makeshift shelter and waited for the darkness to pass.

~~

Dante woke up with a yawn and covered his mouth immediately, looking from side to side to see if anyone noticed.

"Good morning to you, too," Crystal said with a chuckle, and he got a good look at her for the first time.

She was a fallen star. Her eyes were not alive, yet not quite dead either—a balance between the icy blue of the sea and the calmness of the sky.

Ah, she must be shouldering the world, too.

"How long was I out?" Dante asked when he noticed they weren't in any imminent danger.

"You sleep like a log of wood, which is just as well. The nights out here can be pretty intense. A brave idiot I knew once tried to take on the darkness. Let's say it didn't end well." Crystal had a faraway look in her eyes, and Dante couldn't bring himself to reach out to her.

She seemed so out of his depths he wondered what exactly he was doing.

"Don't worry; you'll get the hang of it after a day or two. If you're still alive, that is," she said, winking at him. It was flirtatious and full of hidden meaning, but Dante couldn't be sure she wasn't just messing with him.

She was leagues ahead of him; it wouldn't even be fair to call them the same species.

That's depressing. Let's talk about something else.

"Can you tell me why The Graveyard never has that thing coming after it? That darkness that saps everything from you? What makes The Graveyard so special?" Dante queried.

"Ah, I can tell you've been dying to ask. Well, I'll answer your questions. The Graveyard is where those who have given up live. They aren't a threat to anyone; they can't even save themselves. They rot and die in record time without lifting a finger to help themselves. You can say it's a new form of euthanasia: Destroying the mind with minimal effort."

Dante thought deeply about it, but he was distracted by Crystal's swaying hips as she revved her bike.

Get your mind out of the gutter.

It was easier said than done, though.

"Oh. So, how did you know I was there? Why did you come for me?" The question had been bothering Dante for a while, but he couldn't voice it because so many things were happening simultaneously that he didn't even have the luxury of taking a breather.

"Hmm, let's just say Gilgamesh is not completely useless," Crystal said cryptically; as always, Dante wanted to push her for more information, but he wasn't sure he could. You see, there's something about apex predators; They can gauge the strength of other predators without moving a muscle.

In Dante's opinion, Crystal was one of the most dangerous people he'd ever encountered, and he'd once been jumped by more than ten people. Yet, being in proximity to Crystal, one could tell she was the apex of apex predators.

If Dante had one name for her, it'd be Devourer.

"Hey! I'm back!" Dante heard a cheery voice from ahead of him and couldn't believe who he was seeing. It was Gilgamesh. And he had zero malice surrounding him.

"Huh? I thought I hit you enough to break the barrier." Crystal made a tsk sound, suddenly irritated.

"Nah, but you did try. I'd give you an A for effort. However, that isn't the farthest you've sent me flying. What are you, a gorilla?"

Dante could see the veins popping on Crystal's forehead, and he wondered just how dense Gilgamesh was not to see the signs. But he couldn't interfere because, well… he just couldn't. They were on a level that his cockiness couldn't reach, and he didn't want to end up on the other side of their rage.

It was best to let them do whatever they did as long as it was a routine they were used to.

"What do you think, Dante? Am I a gorilla?" Crystal sidled close to Dante, and her scent filled his nostrils. Her body was pressing against his in the most provocative ways, and she seemed utterly oblivious to it.

Yup, this would be the death of me.

"No, not at all. You're not. I mean, you smell divine," Dante said before he could stop himself, and his eyes widened as he realised the implications of his words. Thankfully, Crystal didn't seem to notice or care. I mean, who'd care about gravel beneath their feet?

"Hmm, that's a normal reaction. Unlike Gilgamesh here. A stoic. And also an idiot." As always, Gilgamesh was bearing the brunt of her verbal attacks.

"He doesn't know you well enough, you gorilla. Who sends a friend flying like some superhero? I almost died this time!" Gilgamesh flared up, showing genuine emotions since the first time Dante met him.

"Eh, if I'm a gorilla, you're the idiot that refuses to die. Now, let's go if we are five minutes late... you know what will happen, don't you?" Dante didn't understand what was happening, but Gilgamesh paled immediately, all trace of joy gone from his otherwise sunny expression.

"Let's go." He didn't look back this time, and Crystal didn't poke fun at him. They left the cavern, and as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared. It just melted away like a popsicle. And Dante found himself standing in the desert again, the heat scorching.

What the fuck is this place?

"Is there anything you need to tell me? Something I should prepare for?" Dante asked Crystal, not wanting to be caught unawares.

"Find your way back," she said to Gilgamesh and motioned for Dante to come with her. Gilgamesh only nodded and began to walk in the opposite direction.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Dante asked, wondering when the animosity between the two went to an all-time high. He'd never seen such a switch before. Even when Crystal hit Gilgamesh, he was a good sport, not acting like anything happened.

"No, you're not. But don't ask any more questions. Also, you'll see. Now, hold onto me for dear life; this is the part where you practice your screaming," Crystal said, flashing him a wicked grin filled with malicious intents.

He wasn't sure what to make of it. But he was sure that they were all mad, including him.

He grabbed onto Crystal as she readied to move, holding himself back from inhaling her scent.

"Hold me." She repeated, her voice a tad more authoritative. He did it without hesitation.

Now, he was a few steps away from discovering the secret of this world he'd been thrust into.