In the darkness, something strange occurs. I float, but don't know who I am. I look to my arms, but only see a mesh of dark gray and bright white. I float, lost in the void.
"Am I Dante? Am I Nevereth?"
I touch all over my body, but can't feel anything. I try to stretch my memory back, but receive memories from Dante and Nevereth. A full understanding of both people rolls through me. All of Nevereth's understanding seemingly flows through my mind, along side Dante's true personality.
I spin around, feeling someone behind me. Shockingly, I see Dante and Nevereth. Nevereth sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose while floating on his back.
"How could I have known this would happen? I knew that only us five siblings could kill each other, but there was no way I could've foreseen this."
Dante tilts his head.
"I'm just confused what's happening. We're dead, right? Happens all the time it seems, shouldn't we be coming back to life soon?"
Nevereth closes his eyes and rubs his temple and replies.
"You don't listen at all- No! When one us is killed by someone that isn't our sibling, yeah, we just revive almost instantly. But since we were killed by Grimgaer, my brother, we won't be coming back for a while. Shit, we may not come back at all! Normally when one of us is defeated, we're sealed for roughly a thousand years."
Dante nods.
"Okay, that's not good. But wait, which of us will come back?"
Nevereth stares at Dante for a moment then sighs.
"Last time I was sealed, it was like a dream. In the time that's already passed here, I had previously chosen you and came back when you died. A thousand years took only a minute previously, and it was only me in here! We've been floating here for longer, and there's some third person here as well. Most likely our souls meshed when we died."
Dante looks to me and stares at me for several seconds.
"So he's both of us?"
Nevereth shakes his head.
"You were also championed by Grim, which I'm still not sure how, but nonetheless this new person is probably a created soul from mine, yours, and Grims energy."
I pause, thinking about Grim. Oddly enough, I also have Grims memories.
"I have all three of your memories."
I say quietly, Nevereth looking to me shocked amd confused.
"I see, so it's not a new soul, it's a meshed soul."
Dante looks back to Nevereth.
"What's the difference?"
Nevereth pauses then sighs deeply.
"When, and if, we wake up."
He closes his eyes.
"We will cease to exist, and this newly created soul will take our place. When it regains consciousness, it will most likely retain all my skills, and all of our combined memories."
Dante pauses for a moment, then speaks up.
"So, since currently we're just in the back of my mind. I'm not actually me, I'm my belief of me, right? So what's the difference between me and this new soul? If we have the same memories, the same experiences, won't he just be me?"
Nevereth shakes his head.
"No, he will be a combination of me, you, and Grim. Which, if Grim is still alive when he comes back, he may be able to be controlled. But he will have all of our memories and experiences, so he will be far different than we are."
I pause, quickly looking through my memories. I find several times where Dante and Nevereth hated each other. Curiously, I speak up to ask a question.
"If I'm understanding this right, just a few hours ago you two despised each other. Why do you seem to get along now?"
They look to each other for a moment, then back to me. Nevereth speaking up.
"That's a good point. But, if you are really a meshed soul like I believe you are, then we are your portrayal of us in your mind. Which, now that I think about it, raises a lot of existential questions. Because I can still think and feel on my own, but we're part of you I assume."
Dante thinks for a moment then looks to Nevereth.
"Wait, what if we're looking at this wrong. We're looking at this as though he's a completely different person from us. But what if he is us, like, just fused like you were saying. Meaning we'll both still be here?"
Dante pauses than shakes his head.
"That sounds worse than I was imagining it to sound. Maybe that's not it."
Nevereth pauses for a moment, both of them lost in thought. A voice echoes in my ear, but they don't seem to hear it. A woman's voice, the mother of Grim and Nevereth.
"You are...unique."
I feel my heart throb, my soul given form. Dante and Nevereth look to me, shocked. I see a mirror form beside me. Long black hair, slitted golden eyes, glowing blue tattoos on my cheek, a single white horn, and snow white skin.
Nevereth sees me, and for a split second, I feel an emotional surge. I look to him, and as we lock eyes, a dam of locked memories flood forward. An ocean of memories seemingly covers me. Ten-thousand years of memories of Nevereth and his family after leaving the garden.
"I see."
A spiral forms above me, clearly showing the true forms of all the family.
Nevereth with his long black hair.
Grim with his massive golden eyes.
Xa'gorthep with his blue markings.
Zero's true form, a demonic beast with a single horn.
Ayvex, the angel with snow white skin.
I look at my hands as I hear mother speak up once again.
"Fix my world. Be the best among you."
With those words, the flood of memories fades into my mind. I see Nevereth and Dante staring at me. Nevereth speaks up.
"I don't know what to say, but I feel this is the end of us, Dante."
Dante closes his eyes and nods.
"With how many lives I took, unable to restrain myself, I'm okay with it, if it is the end."
Nevereth sighs, awkwardly looking away.
"Maybe not all humans are bad."
Suddenly the pitch black starts cracking around us, white light breathing the void. The void erupts, the light ripping through Dante and Nevereth.
Nevereth sighs as he slowly fades away. Dante pats his back and laughs.
I watch, confused by the sudden camaraderie.
I jolt up, seeing Blankk sitting beside me in a massive crater, water gently lapping at my sides. To my left are Warren, and Azeroth. I look around before noticing a shadow above me. I quickly look forward, seeing Ayvex, the Archangel floating above the ground.
I chuckle and stand up, looking at my palms and body. My shirt and pants are ripped apart, surprisingly still on my body. Most surprisingly though, the tattoo of thorns has receded back to the palm of my hand, only a dot now apparent.
"So I'm alive?"
Everyone stands up, looking at me cautiously.
"Dante?"
Azeroth asks, holding his scythe at the ready. I notice everyone's weapons are drawn and nod.
"Yea?"
I turn to Azeroth and smile faintly, feeling my memories coming back. Memories that were ripped away, finally completely returned to me.
I grip my chest, all the emotions of what's happened hitting at once. I fall to my knees, regretting so many decisions, feeling waves upon waves of emotional pain.