There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.
– Friedrich Nietzsche
"This is an abomination! Madness I tell you!!", the shadow fumed to Dante.
"She's neither dead nor alive. You kept her in limbo. No wonder the Gods hasn't been able to detect anything out of the ordinary.", the shadow was impressed yet deeply annoyed for it could forebode a catastrophic event to befall.
"How did you do this?", the shadow asked.
Dante didn't move nor say anything. He kept staring at Mia.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk.", the shadow chided Dante's extreme love and obsession towards Mia.
"No wonder you looked off but you are doing a great job hiding it for sure.", the shadow continued. "Seeing that you gave your life force and energy to suspend her life in limbo and left yourself feeling weak and vulnerable."
"I need you to monitor her. At all times. I'm giving you to her.", Dante started.
The shadow was silent for awhile.
Getting no answer from the shadow, Dante continued. "Theus."
"Don't you have the Hellhound doing it already?", the shadow named Theus replied.
"Well, you know that it is limited in its power when it shape-shifts.", Dante replied.
"You had the Hellhound which is technically a dog shape-shift to another dog. I guess it is now much more pleasing to the eye than it was before.", continued Theus.
Milo was a mighty hellhound; the gatekeeper for Hell. Dante was the one who assigned him to Mia when he felt like she might need a friend. When Dante couldn't step foot onto the Mortal World, he had no other choice but to send Milo in his stead. Of course, Dante could not let him have his pure form, knowing that it would scare Mia so he asked it to transform itself to a domesticated version.
It was not easy to get Mia to adopt the Hellhound. At first, the Hellhound shape-shifted to a Tibetan Mastiff and waited in a huge box with a placard that read "Abandoned : Please take it" but when Mia first saw it, she ran away in fear. Next, it shape-shifted to Chihuahua pup weighing no more than 5 ounces and this time around; Mia was afraid it would step on it and kill it so she avoided it.
Frustrated, the Hellhound pondered a bit, until it shape-shifted into a shih-tzu pup. With its black and white fluffy self, it one day started following Mia home. When Mia would try to shoo away the pup and try to tell it off, it started whining and crying. Mia felt guilty by the abandoned pup's sad cries, she finally caved in and took it home with her.
"Consider it done.", Theus finally replied after some contemplation.
"Theus, when I say at all times, I mean it.", Dante warned Theus.
"Understood. But I need to get back to my physical form. For now, I am but a shadow.", Theus replied.
"How long will it take you to get to your physical form?", Dante asked.
"It is still resting. But it should be good now.", Theus replied.
"Be careful not to scare her with your shadow. She is new to everything including you; again.", Dante urged.
"Duly noted.", stated Theus. And with that, Theus's shadow dispersed in search of its physical form.
After Theus left, Dante kneeled down to be eye level with Mia's sleeping form.
He softly whispered to Mia's ears, "I love you." And he craned his neck to Mia's pink and soft lips and kissed it. He stared at her for awhile and reluctantly left her side. He had urgent matters to attend.