TWOxACROSS
Hot-blooded God of Guns
So, at about 2am I got a wild hair up my ass, and had to jot something down. If you guys saw my previous posts on what could happen in DmC's future (narratively-speaking), it's no surprise those ideas were rattling around in my head whenever I thought of DmC. So! I just thought I'd share with you the little bit I typed out at 2am. Yes, it would be considered fan-fiction, and that term usually comes with a lot of skepticism, but keep in mind that 1) this is an extremely rough draft, 2) it was 2am and by the end I was falling asleep at my keyboard, and 3) I'm a writer, I do this for a living...
-------"I sense trepidation in you, young Master," Phineas said.
-------"F#ck, Phin, don't call me that," Dante rolled his eyes.
-------"My apologies. What's troubling you, Dante?" the old demon asked.
-------Dante leaned against the railing, looking out over the continuing reconstruction of Limbo City in the aftermath of Mundus' city-wide rampage. Numerous industrial cranes topped buildings, arcing out amidst the city's skyline like gaunt, metallic fingers clawing at the clouds.
-------"It's okay Dante...if anyone can help, it's Phineas," Kat said, comfortingly.
-------Dante nodded, clicking his tongue. "I feel like I'm losing control, Phin."
-------"Of what?" Phineas' one good eye perked opened brightly.
-------"Whatever it is...inside me," Dante muttered.
-------"Ahh...the devil within, I assume." Phineas nodded.
-------Dante only looked down towards the street, moving his head up and down so slightly one could miss it if they weren't paying attention.
-------"What makes you think you're losing control? That devil is part of you. It is you, Dante," Phineas said.
-------"Yeah, and that's what skeeves me out, okay? It's stronger now, it isn't just some power I'm tapping into anymore. It...changes me. I look like..."
-------"Like a demon?" Phineas chortled laboriously. "Dear boy...as I said: it's part of you. That physical change you're seeing is the devil inside you."
-------"Dante is worried because...what if the demon takes over?" Kat interjected for him, since Dante wasn't one to speak quite so freely.
-------Phineas fell silent, and you could hear the gears clicking in his head. He looked squarely at Dante, as if to ask for more information. Dante soon obliged.
-------"When I fought Vergil, I had to pull that devil out to stop him...but when I did, I nearly killed him. I didn't even care, the sword was in my hand, just going right through his chest, and I just didn't care that he was my brother, I could feel it...all this, like, anger...I was ready to kill him there. If it wasn't for Kat, I probably would have killed him. It's pretty much just gone downhill from there since then." Dante sighed, interlocking his fingers.
-------"Hm...it's no surprise that you felt a great swell of fury, anger is a powerful force for us demons," Phineas began. "If you remember your time in Limbo before it collapsed, you most likely remember coming across something we demons coveted - Malice. It was all-pervasive in Limbo, and responsible for all that you were forced to overcome when you were taken there.
-------"Limbo was a demonic dimension comprised of Malice, made as a facsimile of your world where the power of Hell could seep into the very fabric of this reality. Limbo and Malice were the bridge that let the demons bring Hell on Earth."
-------"This is great and all, but what does this have to do with my problem, Phin?" Dante interrupted.
-------"From what I know of your past, young Master, you lived a rather...shall we say hedonistic, lifestyle. You harbored much hatred for the demons that hunted you, and cared little for anyone but yourself, correct?" Phineas cocked his clockwork head.
-------"Yeah, so...?" Dante shrugged.
-------"Such things are a gateway to Malice. Those same emotions, that decadence, is what allows humans to be manipulated by demons as well. When I first met you, I helped you gain more power as a Nephilim, but as your heart was so consumed by hatred and vengeance, the devil within was the first to surface. Your soul screamed out to the forces within, and it was that demonic side of you which answered that call. Even when unleashing that devil within, you exert a forceful control on Malice, which was very beneficial for your encounters in Limbo..."
-------"So what do I do? How can I get rid of it?" Dante turned to Phineas, feeling he was close to his answer.
-------"You can't get rid of it, Dante. It's a part of you..." Phinease said, shaking his head slowly.
-------"What, so I'm just f#cked, is that it?"
-------"You can't get rid of the devil within your heart, young Master. You can, however, bring balance to it." Phineas smirked.
-------"Alright, balance. How?" Dante asked, shifting his weight to lean to his right.
-------"Nephilim possess the strength of both angels and demons, and while demons rely on Malice for their strength, I believe you could tip the scales in your favor by engendering more of what gives angels their strength - Grace."
-------"Grace...really?" Dante's brow furrowed, and he tried weakly to hide a chuckle.
-------"Indeed...you already harness some of it when using the angelic forms of your sword, and as one-half angel, Grace undoubtedly lies somewhere within you as well. It just needs to be cultivated, just as Malice was for much of your life. I believe this is the best option to bring balance to your heart," Phineas concluded.
-------"So...how am I supposed to do that?" Dante asked, leaning his back against the railing.
-------"Another factor of what called the devil forth within you may have been that you did so while in Limbo, a place much closer to Hell, full of Malice. If we're to help you find your Grace, you'll have to find a way to get just a little closer to Heaven." Phineas said.
-------Dante nodded, glancing at Kat, who smiled back at him, seeming quite hopeful of the situation.
-------"Great, so...uh...man, I hate church," Dante mumbled.
------------
-------"I sense trepidation in you, young Master," Phineas said.
-------"F#ck, Phin, don't call me that," Dante rolled his eyes.
-------"My apologies. What's troubling you, Dante?" the old demon asked.
-------Dante leaned against the railing, looking out over the continuing reconstruction of Limbo City in the aftermath of Mundus' city-wide rampage. Numerous industrial cranes topped buildings, arcing out amidst the city's skyline like gaunt, metallic fingers clawing at the clouds.
-------"It's okay Dante...if anyone can help, it's Phineas," Kat said, comfortingly.
-------Dante nodded, clicking his tongue. "I feel like I'm losing control, Phin."
-------"Of what?" Phineas' one good eye perked opened brightly.
-------"Whatever it is...inside me," Dante muttered.
-------"Ahh...the devil within, I assume." Phineas nodded.
-------Dante only looked down towards the street, moving his head up and down so slightly one could miss it if they weren't paying attention.
-------"What makes you think you're losing control? That devil is part of you. It is you, Dante," Phineas said.
-------"Yeah, and that's what skeeves me out, okay? It's stronger now, it isn't just some power I'm tapping into anymore. It...changes me. I look like..."
-------"Like a demon?" Phineas chortled laboriously. "Dear boy...as I said: it's part of you. That physical change you're seeing is the devil inside you."
-------"Dante is worried because...what if the demon takes over?" Kat interjected for him, since Dante wasn't one to speak quite so freely.
-------Phineas fell silent, and you could hear the gears clicking in his head. He looked squarely at Dante, as if to ask for more information. Dante soon obliged.
-------"When I fought Vergil, I had to pull that devil out to stop him...but when I did, I nearly killed him. I didn't even care, the sword was in my hand, just going right through his chest, and I just didn't care that he was my brother, I could feel it...all this, like, anger...I was ready to kill him there. If it wasn't for Kat, I probably would have killed him. It's pretty much just gone downhill from there since then." Dante sighed, interlocking his fingers.
-------"Hm...it's no surprise that you felt a great swell of fury, anger is a powerful force for us demons," Phineas began. "If you remember your time in Limbo before it collapsed, you most likely remember coming across something we demons coveted - Malice. It was all-pervasive in Limbo, and responsible for all that you were forced to overcome when you were taken there.
-------"Limbo was a demonic dimension comprised of Malice, made as a facsimile of your world where the power of Hell could seep into the very fabric of this reality. Limbo and Malice were the bridge that let the demons bring Hell on Earth."
-------"This is great and all, but what does this have to do with my problem, Phin?" Dante interrupted.
-------"From what I know of your past, young Master, you lived a rather...shall we say hedonistic, lifestyle. You harbored much hatred for the demons that hunted you, and cared little for anyone but yourself, correct?" Phineas cocked his clockwork head.
-------"Yeah, so...?" Dante shrugged.
-------"Such things are a gateway to Malice. Those same emotions, that decadence, is what allows humans to be manipulated by demons as well. When I first met you, I helped you gain more power as a Nephilim, but as your heart was so consumed by hatred and vengeance, the devil within was the first to surface. Your soul screamed out to the forces within, and it was that demonic side of you which answered that call. Even when unleashing that devil within, you exert a forceful control on Malice, which was very beneficial for your encounters in Limbo..."
-------"So what do I do? How can I get rid of it?" Dante turned to Phineas, feeling he was close to his answer.
-------"You can't get rid of it, Dante. It's a part of you..." Phinease said, shaking his head slowly.
-------"What, so I'm just f#cked, is that it?"
-------"You can't get rid of the devil within your heart, young Master. You can, however, bring balance to it." Phineas smirked.
-------"Alright, balance. How?" Dante asked, shifting his weight to lean to his right.
-------"Nephilim possess the strength of both angels and demons, and while demons rely on Malice for their strength, I believe you could tip the scales in your favor by engendering more of what gives angels their strength - Grace."
-------"Grace...really?" Dante's brow furrowed, and he tried weakly to hide a chuckle.
-------"Indeed...you already harness some of it when using the angelic forms of your sword, and as one-half angel, Grace undoubtedly lies somewhere within you as well. It just needs to be cultivated, just as Malice was for much of your life. I believe this is the best option to bring balance to your heart," Phineas concluded.
-------"So...how am I supposed to do that?" Dante asked, leaning his back against the railing.
-------"Another factor of what called the devil forth within you may have been that you did so while in Limbo, a place much closer to Hell, full of Malice. If we're to help you find your Grace, you'll have to find a way to get just a little closer to Heaven." Phineas said.
-------Dante nodded, glancing at Kat, who smiled back at him, seeming quite hopeful of the situation.
-------"Great, so...uh...man, I hate church," Dante mumbled.
------------
NOTES (ideas I kept in mind while writing this little thing)
- Malice is the black goop seen throughout Limbo, and is responsible for the malforming effects of the dimension, as well as the magic available to demons
- Grace is the majestic white clouds often associated with Heaven, and is responsible for the pristine and pure conditions of sacred grounds, as well as the magic available to angels. Grace is the white smoke/energy we see when Dante uses certain Angel Mode abilities
- Both are the primordial forms of chaos and order (respectively). When angels were created, it was done so with pure, raw order (Grace). When angels were cast out from Heaven, the fallen lost their Grace, and filled that void with pure, negativity (Malice)
- In the bible, angels are never quite described as dudes with wings, but many weird things like rings of fire and or interlocking hoops with eyes on them. The same can be said of demons, having formed their grotesque bodies out of Malice when they were fallen angels. These true forms are made up of their respective raw substance (Malice and Grace), and are analogous to their soul. When in the human world, angels and demons require a vessel to give them physical form, although in doing so they make themselves semi-mortal
So, yeah...there's your 2am jeedy-bop from TWOxACROSS. Lemme know whatchu think, or somethin'.
