Author's note: Was a bit busy writing a backlog but finally finished! This fic is so fun to write, I'm really enjoying it. Tell me what you think! Also, is there anyone having trouble scrolling through the app since the latest apple update? And if so, anyone has a fix?
A Marvelous Devil:
Chapter 4: A Demon in Devil Skin.
Dante Andromalius.
The Underworld.
I didn't even know a dragon's eyes could twitch.
I hid the pain tearing through my body behind a scowl aimed straight at the bastard in front of me.
Great Red huffed, his slitted eyes full of irritation. He didn't attack, so I kept going.
"Oh, I have a great idea," I said, lifting my chin. "Let's mess with my friend's soul and weaken him into something below an ant. Isn't that super nice of me?"
"I am the embodiment of dreams in this universe," Great Red snorted, the fake space around us trembling. "The..."
"Yes, yes, you're amazing," I cut him off with an exaggerated eye roll. "Do you realize what you did? How am I supposed to fulfill our pact if you changed the very essence of what made me me?!"
"I'm a dragon god, you bastard," he huffed, puffing a little flame my way. "Do you think I have experience with souls?! Everyone in this universe fears me! You're the first person I've talked to in centuries."
The flame splashed against me harmlessly.
I stared at him blankly.
"That's… sad, Red."
My compassion was not appreciated. He snorted again and sent me flying into a wall.
I couldn't help but laugh. It reminded me of our first meeting. Of the day we forged the pact that tied our fates together.
Back then, I knew I was going to die. No matter how many variables I twisted, Mephisto's pettiness ensured my end. Understandable, really. We were born around the same time, and for a while, we were similar beings. Then one mortal shattered that path, and I changed. And that change made me dangerous to our kind.
The others never understood. I lived far better than any of them. My followers loved me. Every soul in my domain genuinely adored me. I didn't need to look over my shoulder twenty-four seven, waiting for betrayal.
Kindness wasn't weakness. Demons weren't required to be monsters; most just chose the most straightforward path and rotted there forever.
That's why they hated me.
So, I looked beyond our multiverse. Somewhere Mephisto didn't even know existed, and that's where I found this idiot. Wandering through a newborn void, unlike anything I had ever seen.
A being strong enough to hide me from my own birth universe.
Someone Mephisto would never dare touch without a damn good reason. At least outside of his domain.
A dragon as mighty as him. That alone shocked me. Every other dragon I had ever met had been… disappointing.
If only this one wasn't a colossal idiot.
Anger flickered through me again. I drew a deep breath, turned inward, and examined myself.
I was… weak. Weaker than the moment I first came into existence. Pathetically weak.
The realization stabbed at my pride, and I glared at the red idiot again.
But I understood why he had done it.
I didn't have to like it.
Inside my soul, which had grown significantly compared to before, I saw the echo of my original well of power. Cosmic power, gifted by a girl who wanted nothing more than escape from her father's hands. Hands big enough to smother a planet.
It was insanely versatile, now tied to my essence and something I could shape into anything.
And now? The well was empty.
Regenerating at a glacial pace. Useless.
I couldn't accelerate it. I wasn't a demon born from Nemesis anymore, the kind who feasted on Celestial bodies in his infancy.
No. I was a devil.
A pathetic downgrade.
But… it wasn't all doom and gloom.
This so-called clan trait, if trained to the extreme, could let me move unseen and untouched. This new body was untalented, painfully so, but I could work with it.
Until I found a way to upgrade myself.
"One problem at a time," I muttered. "How much time has passed, Red?"
"Around sixty-three years since your death," he said gruffly.
"And this universe hasn't been touched by Mephisto? Or anyone else?" I asked, serious now.
He shook his gargantuan head. "I'm not an idiot. What I did was for a reason. You aren't Seere anymore, you're another being entirely. Your soul is different and I used my power to close this universe from outside interference. But… I have felt probes. That's why I came today."
"I'm in no position to help, you idiot," I snapped. "Yes, what you did worked. But you left me powerless. I can't use any method I know to grow fast. This body isn't compatible with my knowledge. I'll have to use this universe's system to grow."
"And my deal-making ability is limited because of that." I sat on his snout, locking eyes with him. "Do. You. Understand? I cannot snap my fingers and lock this universe like I promised."
Annoyance flashed across his face… enough that I worried he might grab my devil body and chuck me straight back into Mephisto's waiting claws.
"I held up my end," he growled. "I hid you. I made it possible for you to hide yourself. I gave you a second chance. And now you're telling me you can't do it?"
"You're the one who scrambled my soul! You changed me, blocked my memories for eighteen years!" I snapped.
The sheer gall of this child.
"To keep you hidden! If I'd left them active, Mephisto would've sensed you the moment you were born. He still has a piece of your soul. You'd be dead… or worse, he'd be here. And he is not someone I can face without destroying my own universe."
"So, what now? You're going to throw me back to the bastard and ask for forgiveness? Let him finish what he started? I didn't take you for a coward."
The silence that followed was… tense.
He looked a breath away from erasing me.
Then he sighed. "No. That would be wasteful. But I didn't save you out of charity, demon. I have a universe to protect. And you owe me."
We glared at each other for the hundredth time that night.
Then I nodded.
"Let it not be said I don't finish what I start," I said. "We made a promise, and you delivered. I'll protect this universe from anything. But I need time. And a way to grow. Thank you for this body's lineage, but the mess you dropped me into isn't something I can overcome easily. Your pettiness complicated this for both of us."
"You called me a lizard," he huffed, and once more yeeted me across the room.
"It's a compliment, you idiot," I grumbled. "If you'd seen the dragons I dealt with back in my multiverse, you'd be grateful I didn't compare you to them."
That stopped him cold, and it was only then that I realized that he didn't know much about my reality. Nothing I hadn't told him.
He was strong, don't get me wrong. But he would be folded into a pretzel by hundreds of beings in my home universe, if not more.
I loved my home, but it was dangerous even for me at my previous peak.
"Really?" he asked, looking dumbstruck.
I just nodded tiredly, "Dragons as a whole aren't that… impressive back there. Like… if you are a five in my scale, the strongest back home is a four at most, and even he can only reach that level after significant sacrifices."
"Dragons are the top race in this universe," he murmured petulantly, showing that despite his power, he was still inexperienced. All he knew was his home universe, and he was the biggest fish there was.
He didn't understand the terror of being this powerful and still being an ant against the actual monsters like the Three-Faced Glowstick, or worse, his daddy, The One Above All.
Good thing the grumpy bastard hadn't participated in anything since his mortal aspect was sacrificed.
My previous body carried his brand until my final day for stealing his punishments for mortals and taking them for myself. No regrets.
"Interesting, but unimportant in the grand scheme of things," I sighed tiredly. "What do you feel about those probes? Tell me about them."
"Strong," he scowled, "Above the previous you, and their power is… strange. I haven't seen anything like that in this universe. But there is worse news. It's not only them; another group is probing the barrier as well. And I can't tell if both are enemies."
"How much?" I asked, feeling a sliver of concern before I squashed it.
"Time?" Red pondered for a moment, "Years, hopefully even a decade. The barrier stands strong, and while one of those bastards managed to send some of its power inside, I already dealt with that. It had some unintended consequences, but it's dealt with."
"You won't explain more, will you?" I rubbed my nose.
"It's dealt with," he said forcefully, "You'll thank me later."
I didn't like the amusement that appeared on his eyes. I had a feeling he'd piss me off when I found out.
Rolling my eyes, I began to pace around the room, "So, I need to reach and surpass my previous peak in a decade, if we're lucky. Easier said than done, you overgrown lizard."
"I don't like it. It's too soon, and as you know, my situation in the Underworld is quite poor, to say the least. Thanks to you, asshole."
"If you want, I could…" he began, but I raised my hand and stopped him.
"No." I said firmly, "First, you wouldn't do it, so don't even offer to help me. Secondly, I don't need you."
Red shrugged. I didn't even know dragons could do that.
"That pride of yours is what killed you, but whatever," he laughed, "Despite what my attitude might show… I trust you to fulfill the deal. I'd suggest you get those evil pieces your kind flaunts and arm a peerage that could help you. If you empower them, they might be of use in the final battle."
"The last people I called family died to fight for what I believed in," I shook my head, feeling a pang in my heart at the thought of my generals and their gruesome deaths. "No, I don't want to risk anyone else. I don't need anyone else."
I didn't like the way Red's eyes softened.
"Your new family is real. For the first time in your sorry existence, you have a blood-related family, Seere. As for your peerage… Is it better to have a family and lose them than to never have had any at all?"
I avoided looking at him, sighing.
"I'll think about it. But even if I agreed, my situation is fucked. This body is untalented in devil arts, and opportunities here in the Underworld are low for someone like me."
"You could join a peerage," he snorted, earning another smack on his snout.
"What would you need to grow stronger?" He asked thoughtfully.
"The human world," I replied simply, "freedom to travel there and learn different systems that I might understand better. I barely have any demonic power as is; human magic might be my only reliable path forward."
"But I can't leave the Underworld before becoming a high-class, so the point is moot. And I don't know how long it will take for me to reach that point here." I shook my head in irritation, glaring at the culprit.
"I have an idea," he said, standing tall, the facsimile of my house breaking into moths of light, showing that we were currently in the void, my body protected by a sliver of Red's power.
"Since you don't want my help… what if I allow you to return to your home universe? Under two conditions," he said seriously, and my heart thumped inside my chest.
"What do you want?"
No. No matter what his smug look implied, I didn't beg.
"Two simple things," he smirked. "First, I want you to have a peerage one day and power them up to the best of your ability. Create a force capable of protecting this world from outside invasion, as promised."
I didn't bother to hide the sneer on my face at his request, but nodded, "Fine. One day."
"You can have beings from both universes. And since you can't use your original power until later, I'll empower the pieces myself to improve them. As for my second request…"
The weight of his power thickened until I could feel it pressing against my soul.
Panting for breath, I glared at the gloating bastard. He couldn't hide his amused gaze from me.
"I reincarnated you in this body for a reason. Use your clan trait and make it powerful enough to hide you from anyone in your birth universe that might be interested here. I don't want a single presence following you. Am I understood?"
I gritted my teeth in anger, feeling something inside snap as one knee dropped. It was as if I were in a black box, with its walls pressing against me from every direction.
I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think. I couldn't even move.
"Understood," I managed to grunt.
"Good," he snorted.
"Then go away, I grow bored by your presence." One of his enormous claws sent me flying through the void.
Gloat all you want, fucking lizard. I didn't forget any slights, and I will make sure you pay me back for this.
Later.
My eyes snapped open.
For a moment, I didn't breathe. My entire body was drenched in cold sweat, my shirt stuck to me like it was trying to glue itself to my skin. Every muscle trembled as if my soul had just been put through a grinder and stitched back together with a heated knife.
Ah… That's precisely what happened.
The room around me slowly solidified in my vision, the living room I spent the last eighteen years in. Not the void, not the fake house Red had made for our talk.
And it was now that I realized why that fake illusion felt so different. It lacked the warm, familiar safety that I basked in right now.
And then I saw them. My parents.
Such a strange word that warmed my heart.
Hadrian and Celestine, curled up on the floor right beside the couch, both asleep.
I wasn't sure what Red made them dream of, but their linked hands and faint smiles made me feel something deep inside my old self. Happiness. Unlike anything I ever felt.
I didn't deserve that sight, not with the memories crashing around inside my skull.
Before I could even try to process anything, a rift opened in the air next to me.
A single, sharp line of Red that widened enough to spit out two things. A red scale the size of my palm, glowing with Great Red's power, and a folded letter bearing some scrawls.
Wow… I didn't think I could see him as less than an idiot. He couldn't even write well.
I picked both things up, the scale pulsed faintly, almost alive, and the letter was short.
Twist the scale to open a portal home.
Don't use it until you're ready (I'll know if you're stupid about this).
Train your clan trait. We have a decade. Don't waste it.
Try not to die.
— The BEST Dragon in the Multiverse
P.S. You're welcome.
I clicked my tongue. "Asshole. I knew I shouldn't have said anything; now he's got an even bigger head."
But… I tucked both items away carefully. Because, despite everything, he wasn't wrong.
Slowly, I looked back at my parents.
The war inside me surged again. The memories of both lives clashing to make sense of my current feelings. Both failed.
Eons of having no one but myself to depend on, eons of pure loneliness.
Just survival.
Then… this.
Father's soft snoring, mother clinging to his wide arms with a soft, little smile. Both breathed peacefully.
And it hit me again, sharper than any injury Mephisto managed to cause.
I had parents. A real family. Something to protect that wasn't duty or principle. Something I chose because I wanted to.
"I'll protect you both," I whispered under my breath, my voice trembling more than I would ever admit. "I'll give you anything. Everything. I swear it on my name."
Carefully, I lifted them off the floor and set them onto the couch nearby. They didn't stir much, just murmured softly, leaning instinctively against each other.
I watched them for a long moment.
Eventually, Hadrian's eyes fluttered open. He blinked blearily, then smiled when he saw me.
"Dante…?" he murmured. "We must've been more tired than we thought. Sorry you had to see us like this."
Celestine woke up next, rubbing her eyes before giving me a soft, sleepy smile. "Sweetheart, you should be in bed. It's late. Go rest."
Hadrian reached out and squeezed my wrist. "We love you, son. Go to sleep. Tomorrow's another day."
My throat tightened.
For a terrifying second, I thought I'd cry for the first time in both lives.
Instead, I forced a smile and leaned down to kiss Celestine's cheek. She giggled softly, half-asleep, and my heart nearly cracked open.
"I love you both," I whispered.
They smiled, still unaware of how close they had come to losing me… or how close this world was to catastrophe.
I stepped back toward my room, pausing in the doorway.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow will be the start of everything.
"I'll train," I said under my breath. "I'll grow stronger than ever. I'll find a way to repay an impossible debt. I'll protect the people I love. No matter what."
Tonight was the last day of the old Dante, the weak, uncertain boy trapped by fate.
Tomorrow?
Tomorrow was the birth of something new.
The birth of a Demon wrapped in devil skin.
A force strong enough to change the fate of two universes.
I closed my eyes, breathed in slowly, and let the new resolve settle into my bones.
"Tomorrow," I promised softly, "I'll start becoming someone even the old me would fear."
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