Crimson Despair: Pandemonium

Lost At Midnight

Dante and Virgil dash around the arena, throwing flurries of punches and kicks, both blocking the other's attacks. Dante and Virgil separate and circle each other, breathing heavily as their hearts pound with adrenaline. The arena crackles with energy, as the spectators watch in awe as the two fighters prepare for their next move.

Malthus analyzes his grandchildren's battle below, he looks around the stands at the priests chattering amongst each other. The Sentinels quietly watch the battle below, a burning flame of hope in all of their eyes grow with each passing moment of the fight. Malthus snaps his fingers and the arena reshapes itself to form a wasteland. Dante and Virgil leap around the rising platforms, Dante slides down the side of a rising cliff and slides to a stop across the ground. Virgil flips over a platform onto a rising cliff across from Dante. The two glare at each other for a moment as servants in rags surround the perimeter.

VIRGIL

"You've been chasing behind me, ever since we were kids." (He stares at the ground, fury building within himself.)

DANTE

"You pick a hell of a time to talk!"

VIRGIL

"They still believe you're better suited for my spot." (He examines his hands.) "All the bodies I've buried. All the pain I've endured." (His eyes travel to Dante.) "Yet, I'm not good enough."

DANTE

"What are you talking about?" (An expression of confusion overcomes his scowl.)

VIRGIL

"I embrace my nature. I don't run from it like you!"

Virgil grinds his teeth with frustration as he curls his hands into fists, the air around him begins to shimmer as sweat forms on his brow. He raises his hand towards a group of the servants and generates a blue and black fireball with malicious intent on his face. Dante's eyes stretch wide with horror on his face as Virgil incinerates the servants and smiles sadistically. Dante looks at the charred remains of the servants and back to Virgil.

VIRGIL

(A single tear rolls down his cheek as a broken chuckle seeps through.) "I guess I'll have to be their only option."

Dante's scowl deepens, mirroring the intensifying rage within him. The muscles near his nose and the corners of his mouth twitch with the growing fury. His body starts to surge with electricity, and the energy crackles violently, reflecting the escalating anger. Some of his locs stand on end as the burning rage courses through him, threatening to overflow. The dark energy wraps around the electric currents, tainting them with a sinister blend of black and red, a manifestation of the turmoil churning inside Dante. The power within him becomes more volatile with each passing moment, a reflection of the unbridled fury that threatens the surroundings.

DANTE

"I've never had a genuine reason to fight you." (He shakes his head as if trying to shake out a bad memory. His voice holding back rage.) "You shouldn't have given me a reason."

VIRGIL

"You're nothing but talk!"

Virgil charges at Dante with breakneck speed, scorching the ground. He launches a relentless barrage of punches aimed at Dante's head. Dante moves with almost preternatural agility, evading each strike with a dancer's grace. Virgil's knee strikes Dante's stomach, followed by a powerful elbow to his back, causing him to momentarily stagger. Dante quickly regains his composure and rolls away, narrowly avoiding another crushing blow. Refusing to back down, Virgil closes the distance once more, his movements like a whirlwind of fury. He aims another powerful knee at Dante's head, Dante channels his corrupted lightning abilities. The air crackles with electric energy as their knees collide, creating a sizzling burst of energy that sends sparks flying.