A shape emerged from the crater. Then stood still—a prism-born creature cloaked in armor that devoured light and wept color.
Lieutenant Dante's Essence Manifestation frame was humanoid only in silhouette, yet every contour of his form betrayed something beyond humanity. Jagged, overlapping plates curved along his body like the hide of a celestial leviathan, refracting light into a spectrum that danced violently with each breath he took.
Where metal might have corroded or bone might have splintered, his armor shimmered like living crystal—impossibly sharp and endlessly shifting, a kaleidoscope trapped in predatory form.
His back bore a crown of blades—spines of rainbow-touched glass jutting outward in asymmetrical brilliance, each one pulsing with a silent hum that resonated like a chord too deep for mortal ears. They flexed, not with muscle, but with pure intent. Essence-slick and coldly deliberate.
