Dante swiftly turned around, and his eyes met with a pair of dark-red ones. Yes. The man's eyes had a dark-red color with a depth that Dante had never seen before.
Dante said nothing. Instead, he examined the man with his gaze for a while.
Except for his eyes, the man had no other remarkable qualities. He was like a young man who might be seen at any moment on the streets. Even his garments were something similar to those of peasant's who Dante had previously seen in Sunfell Town.
"Even though I say so, you don't remember me right now. Even if you had remembered me, you wouldn't have recognized me. By the way, I saw these outfits in your new memories. Don't you think these outfits look good on me?" said the man with a gentle smile on his face.
'Look, he is really waiting for a comment. What an oddball.'
The apprehensive expression on Dante's face disappeared. Although his bewilderment continued, he spoke calmly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Dante couldn't feel any hostility from the man. On the contrary, his words, his expression... Everything about this man gave birth to a nostalgic feeling in Dante's heart.
"What you currently see isn't my true form." said the man with a helpless smile. "I preferred doing it in this way because I didn't want to scare you with my true form. What do you think? Am I still as skillful as I was once when I turn into a human being?"
Dante didn't know what to say. Then his eyes left the man and wandered around before looking back into the man's eyes again.
"As I thought. We are in a dream... Who are you? From what I understand, you knew the previous me." Dante's eyes suddenly flashed with joy. "Or is that how the memories are transferred? An old acquaintance enters your dream and gives you your memories?"
After a few seconds of silence, the gentle smile on the man's face became wider. "I'm glad. I was afraid that your mind could sustain permanent scars because of the pain you had experienced, but apparently, I was worried for nothing."
"That was your job?" This time Dante's eyes flashed with anger, and his voice rose involuntarily. "You stripped me from my flesh until I had left nothing but my skeleton! And you made me watch!"
"You're right to be angry!" The man hastily cut Dante's words. "There is no doubt that that experience was no different from torture on your part, but you have to understand, Dante. It was necessary."
The man's affectionate expression switched to a serious one, while a confused expression appeared on Dante's face. He was still angry though.
"But first, let me introduce myself to you." He put his left foot to the back of his right foot, his right hand on top of his heart, his left hand to the level of his waist from the back and leaned slightly forward.
He was saluting in front of Dante, in a way that would fit only the highest degree of nobles. So much so that in spite of his peasant clothes on him, Dante could feel the heavy nobility unleashed from him.
"Throughout the ages, I have had many names. I don't like any of them, so I'm not good at introducing myself..." When he reached this point in his speech, a small smile appeared on his face. "...but the former Dante used to call me Mr. Skull. We were like brothers."
Dante didn't know what to say. He was certain that his encounter with 'Mr. Skull' in a dream somehow had something to do with his memories, but Dante had not expected him to act in such a way.
Mr. Skull's movements, style of speech and words were very nostalgic to him. The truth of what he said was questionable, but what Dante was feeling right now made him believe unconditionally.
"I'm not here to give you a piece of your memories, Dante. I'm sure you'll find them in your adventures in the labyrinth. What I'm going to tell you are things that concerning both of us you must absolutely know, and your memories don't include them. You better not miss anything."
"I'm all ears... old friend." The things he was about to hear seemed more important than Dante's memories. That's why he didn't feel disappointed at all.
"First of all, I have to tell you about this place, the Labyrinth of the First. In the eyes of the participants, this place is nothing but a new beginning that they just happened to step into. But... do you know what this place really is?"
It's been a week since Dante entered the labyrinth. The time he spent here was not enough for him to make an accurate conjecture. So he immediately shook his head and left the words to his 'old friend' that stood in front of him.
"For some, this is a test world, a world full of opportunities and hopes, and for some, this is nothing but a playground for the Lord of the Labyrinth."
"These are all true speculations. However, there are facts that the Lord of the Labyrinth has hidden from the rest of the universe. This place... is also a prison. As you get stronger, you'll better understand what I mean to say."
Dante was shocked. He had heard similar things about the Labyrinth of the First from the Guardian of the Elevator, and a few things about the Lord of the Labyrinth. But this place... a prison? That was not something that would easily come to one's mind. Also, this wasn't a fact that the participants could easily make themselves believe, even if someone thought of it.
"The Lord of the Labyrinth is a very strong existence. He never lets anyone enter into his labyrinth with intact memory, or with the powers the participants have in the outside world."
"Thus, for the participants, one of the rules of entering the labyrinth is to leave behind the power and memory. This rule cannot be violated."
"In the eyes of the outside world, those who want to enter the Labyrinth of the First, are people in search of hope, opportunity, and power. On the other hand, there is no one in the outside world who knows that this place is also a prison."
"Think about it; although the rules of the labyrinth are well known in the outside world, a group that consists of thousands of amnesiacs enter the labyrinth each month, and there are people who have been thrown here against their own will, and there is no one in the labyrinth or in the outside world who knows that this place acts as a prison. Then, wouldn't these facts make this labyrinth the perfect place in order to make people disappear without leaving any trace behind?"
'I don't think knowing these would be of any help. Why are you telling me these, old friend?' As Mr. Skull continued to talk, Dante's confusion was deepening. Indeed, these were useless pieces of information for someone who had already entered the labyrinth.
"Of course, this world has secrets that only the Lord of the Labyrinth would know. After all, he is a..." Mr. Skull hesitated for a few second and in the end decided to not tell Dante.
"For now, it is better for you not to know what he is, Dante."
After all his seemingly useless talk, Mr. Skull's refusal to give that specific information has slightly touched Dante's nerves, but he chose not to pursue the matter. Instead, he asked something else.
"I still don't understand. Thousands of people, despite being aware of the rules of the labyrinth, enter the Labyrinth of the First. What's so valuable in here? Is entering here worth losing everything in the outside world? Wait... You said thousands of people... There were only two hundred people who entered the labyrinth this month with me. Why did the number of people who entered into the labyrinth go down this much?"
Dante's words led to a change in Mr. Skull's expression. It was an expression of concern.
"Three thousand years ago, I entered the labyrinth illegally. I didn't have much time back then. So I immediately started to prepare for your arrival, and as soon as I finished my preparations, I came here and slumbered until you stepped into The Lower Catacombs."
"I am unaware of the degree to which the outer world and the Labyrinth of the First have changed within these three thousand years. I won't be able to answer your question."
'Three thousand years ago? Prepare for today? What kind of friendship was there between us? Wait a minute... Does that mean I'm at least three thousand years old?'
Dante didn't have the opportunity to ask these questions because the silhouette of Mr. Skull trembled for a moment.
"Are you... alright?" asked Dante in worry.
Mr. Skull raised his hand to in front of his eyes and studied the back of it for a moment, and sighed. "Before I completely disappear, I thought I had plenty of time. I guess I shouldn't have allowed that weak body to use such high-level skills one after another."
Mr. Skull did not create a stronger body because he had to save the flail's energy for Dante's transformation.
"That body? Don't tell me... the skeletal creature we had just killed were you?" Dante had not seen the skeletal creature's creation process. That's why he had not associated Mr. Skull with it in such a way.
Dante couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Both yes and no. My true body died not long after my soul had started its slumber in my flail. What you see is nothing but the vestiges of my consciousness."
Mr. Skull's voice and expression once again underwent a change.
"Now, listen to me carefully, Dante." His gaze turned at Dante again. "You didn't enter the Labyrinth of the First on your own volition. You also weren't imprisoned here... Three thousand years ago, I arranged your entry to the labyrinth while you were deep in sleep."