The sound of a door closing shattered the silence of the apartment.
Dante dropped his backpack onto the couch and stretched, feeling the tension in his muscles after sprinting home.
Beside him, Adrián looked around with a mix of nostalgia and confusion.
The place was almost as messy as the apartment he had often visited in his past life whenever he went to see Dante.
Meanwhile, Leo stood with his arms crossed, one eyebrow raised, analyzing the situation like a puzzle that didn't quite fit.
—I'm going to need a really good explanation.—Leo finally said, pointing at Adrián.
Dante sighed as he walked to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water.
—I know. And I'll give you one.
—It better not be one of your dumb excuses.
—Please. My excuses are legendary. But this time, I'm telling the truth.
Dante took a sip of water and turned to his cousin.
—Adrián is an old friend of mine.
Leo frowned.
—An old friend? You never mentioned him.
—That's because I thought I'd never see him again. —Dante set the glass down on the counter and glanced at Adrián—. Let's just say… our paths split a long time ago.
Adrián, understanding the hint, nodded.
—It's a long story. —He said with a casual smile—. But the important thing is that Dante and I have known each other for years.
Leo narrowed his eyes, evaluating the situation.
—And why was he trapped in a crack?
Dante crossed his arms.
—Because, just like me, he has a thematic system. He ended up there because of a quest.
Leo's eyes widened slightly.
—Another one?
Adrián raised a hand, and his interface appeared in the air, displaying the title in bold letters.
[Persona System]
Leo studied the floating screen with genuine curiosity.
—So you're not the only one with a weird system…
Dante smirked.
—Seems like I'm not.
Leo sighed, rubbing his face.
—This just complicates things. If anyone finds you, there's no way to explain your identity.
Adrián tilted his head.
—What if I say I'm a government experiment who escaped?
Leo looked at him with absolute disbelief.
Dante burst out laughing.
—If he says that, we'll be locked in a secret facility within a day.
Adrián snapped his fingers.
—Touché.
Leo sighed, clearly exhausted.
—You two are going to give me a stress-induced heart attack…
—Don't worry. —Adrián shrugged—. I don't plan on causing trouble.
—You are trouble. You don't exist in any database. —Leo gave him a serious look.
—That's something we can fix later. —Dante interrupted—. For now, the important thing is checking my quest rewards and figuring out how our systems interact.
Leo shot him a warning look.
—Dante… You're not going to blow up our apartment, right?
Dante's face tensed for a moment.
—It happened once, and it wasn't my fault!
—"It happened once, and it wasn't my fault"?! You still have the nerve to say that, you idiot?! You got distracted staring at our neighbor and almost turned us into barbecue!
—It's her fault for sunbathing naked in the pool, not mine!
A brief silence filled the room before Adrián started laughing, lightening the mood.
—Man, I just got back, and it already feels like I walked into a sitcom.
Dante rolled his eyes.
—Welcome to my life.
Dante flopped onto the couch and opened his interface, scrolling through the quest rewards.
[Quest Completed: Crack Rescue]
[Reward 1: Experience Acquired (+7,000 EXP accumulated)]
[Reward 2: New Feature Unlocked – Persona Series Mechanics Activated in SMT System]
[Reward 3: Data Obtained – Partial Information on the Persona System]
Leo leaned over his shoulder.
—How much experience did you get?
Dante checked the total and whistled.
—A lot. But I already had a decent stockpile.
Adrián leaned in, curious.
—How does your system handle experience?
Dante explained while adjusting his interface.
—I can allocate EXP freely. If I use it to level up, I get stat points to distribute into Strength, Magic, Vitality, Agility, and Luck.
Leo nodded.
—And if you use it on skills?
—It upgrades them. Increases effectiveness, reduces costs, and improves versatility.
Adrián whistled.
—That sounds busted.
—Yeah, but I haven't used much of my EXP. I don't want anyone noticing my growth doesn't match normal systems.
Leo snorted.
—So you're pretending to be an average player even though you're way stronger?
—Exactly. I prefer to call it "staying low-key."
Adrián crossed his arms.
—That explains why you only have two demons.
Dante rolled his eyes.
—Pixie and Jack Frost are reliable.
Leo raised an eyebrow.
—…And that's the only reason you haven't gotten more?
—Well, also because I don't want to draw attention.
Adrián chuckled.
—Or because you're lazy.
Dante sighed and finally allocated some of his stored EXP.
[Distributing 500 EXP…]
+2 Magic +1 Vitality
—Good! —Pixie appeared, floating over his shoulder—. Now use some on Dia!
Jack Frost hopped onto the couch.
—It's-hoo necessary! I don't wanna get wrecked just 'cause you're stubborn!
Dante grumbled.
—I don't need support skills.
Pixie put her hands on her hips.
—And what are you gonna do if you get knocked out? Wait for someone else to save you?
Jack Frost nodded.
—Don't be so thick-headed-hoo!
Dante groaned and accepted the skill upgrade.
[Skill Acquired: Dia]
—I can't believe I wasted EXP on this…
Adrián watched the scene with an amused smirk.
—The great Dante… learning healing magic? This is a historic moment.
Dante glared at him.
—Shut up.
Ignoring the comment, Dante checked his interface again, turning on the coffee machine in the process.
[New Feature Unlocked: Persona Mechanics Activated]
A new menu appeared in his interface, highlighted in a lighter blue.
[Persona Fusion (Locked)]
[Limited Summoning Available]
[Current Social Links: 4]
[0 – The Fool (Adrián Velázquez): Lvl. Max]
[02 – The Priestess (Jessica Abigail Matherns): Lvl. 02]
[09 – The Hermit (Leonid Enzo Vittori): Lvl. Max]
[16 – The Tower (Paulo Joaquin Duarte): Lvl. 02]
Dante frowned.
—Looks like I only have partial access.
Adrián leaned in to see.
—Limited summoning?
—Probably means I can't summon Personas like you, but maybe I can manifest them some other way.
Leo glanced at Adrián.
—How does the Persona System work?
Adrián projected his own interface and showed his menu.
—My power is based on the bonds I form with other people. The stronger the connection, the more powerful the Persona linked to that person becomes. Basically, if I wanna get stronger, I have to be social. It's a goddamn punishment.
Dante raised an eyebrow.
—In mine, if I screw up while talking to a demon, it usually ends in a death battle.
Leo side-eyed Dante.
—Your system is completely different from his.
Dante nodded.
—Yeah. I gain power by negotiating with demons and fusing them. Adrián gets stronger by making friends.
Adrián sighed.
—Sounds way less impressive when you put it like that.
Dante shrugged.
—I just tell it like it is.
Leo rubbed his temples, looking between the two.
—So basically, one of you has to be nice to people, and the other has to convince demons to work for him.
Adrián grinned.
—Exactly.
Leo groaned.
—Why do you always get the weirdest shit, Dante?
Dante smirked.
—Natural talent.
Leo closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.
—…Hey, Dante.
—Hmm?
—Do you know what day it is today?
Dante blinked, not understanding the question.
—Tuesday.
—Uh-huh. And do you know what we're supposed to be doing on a Tuesday at this time?
Dante grabbed his COMP, checked the time, and then looked at his cousin with complete indifference.
—Oh, right. School.
Leo pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
—Not just school. My perfect attendance record.
—Oh no… what a tragedy.
Leo slammed his hand on the table.
—DANTE, I'M SERIOUS! I haven't missed a single day in two years! Not even when that giant white whale with legs was rampaging through the city, I still went to class!
Dante calmly took another sip of his coffee.
—Well, there's a first time for everything.
Adrián, amused by Leo's reaction, decided to add fuel to the fire.
—Technically, this is my fault. You could just say you were abducted by a long-lost friend from another dimension.
Leo glared at him, gritting his teeth.
—That's not a valid excuse!
—What if I say I had an urgent quest? —Dante added nonchalantly.
—That would be more believable if you hadn't ignored it until you felt like accepting it!
Dante clicked his tongue.
—Wow, so demanding.
Leo groaned and collapsed onto the couch.
—My perfect attendance…
Dante smirked.
—Come on, it's just one day. No one dies from skipping class once.
Leo shot him a sharp look.
—Dante, you act like you don't care about anything.
A brief silence filled the room before Adrián burst out laughing.
Dante sighed and turned to him.
—Don't laugh too much, you're the same way.
—Yeah, but I never earned the title of "most relaxed guy ever after almost getting killed by an angry mob of women."
Dante crossed his arms.
—That wasn't my fault! I really had to go to the bathroom, and I wasn't paying attention to the sign. How was I supposed to know it was the women's restroom?!
Adrián shook his head with a smirk.
—Some things never change.
Dante rolled his eyes.
—Like I said, not my fault.
Adrián looked at him in disbelief.
—…The fact that the whole place was painted pastel pink didn't give you a clue?
Dante shrugged.
—At this point, I don't even question things like what color a men's or women's restroom should be. You wanna check Twitter and see what they say about color debates?
Adrián made a face.
—Hell no. I'm not stepping into that circus of lunatics again.
Leo stared at both of them with pure disbelief.
—Are you two even aware of how weird you sound?
Dante and Adrián looked at each other, then shrugged at the same time.
Birds of a feather flock together, right?
—More or less. —They said in unison.
Leo huffed and stood up.
—So, what now? You two just plan to sit around like nothing happened?
Dante stretched.
—I plan to relax. No active quests for now.
Adrián also got comfortable on the couch.
—I'll check how much access I actually have in my system.
Leo watched them, feeling like he was completely surrounded by lunatics.
—Glad to see you guys have your priorities straight…
Dante grinned and patted Leo on the back.
—Relax, Leo. Life's more fun when you let chaos flow.
—Is that what you'd tell the people who actually keep this world functioning?
—Exactly.
Leo sighed again, wondering how the hell he got dragged into this insanity.
But deep down… he already knew the answer.
It was because Dante had always been like this.
How could someone be so inconsistent?
One moment, he was the most reliable person you'd ever meet. The next, he was the kind of idiot who'd stick a fork into an electrical socket just to see how it felt to get electrocuted.
...
As Leo left the room, Adrián turned toward Dante, who was still calmly sipping his coffee.
They needed to talk—privately.
There was no choice but to do it through system messages.
[Adrián → Dante]
—[You're not planning to tell him, are you?]
[Dante → Adrián]
—[No idea what you're talking about.]
[Adrián → Dante]
—[Dante…]
[Dante → Adrián]
—[…Not yet. I don't think I'm ready to see his reaction.]
Adrián noticed how Dante's hand, still holding his coffee, trembled slightly.
But in the end, he decided not to mention it.
""""""""""""
South San Francisco Industrial Zone – Minutes After Dante, Adrián, and Leo Fled
The roar of armored vehicle engines shattered the silence of the abandoned area.
A convoy of jeeps and military trucks came to a stop near the crack. Scientists in specialized suits rushed out, followed by heavily armed soldiers securing the perimeter.
At the center of the team, a woman in a white lab coat and data glasses analyzed the crack with a deep frown.
—Report.
One of the assistants checked their portable device.
—Anomalous fluctuations were detected ten minutes ago. The phenomenon stabilized quickly and… it's now closing.
The scientist adjusted her glasses, watching the crack shrink until it was reduced to a single point of light… and then vanished.
—This isn't normal. —She muttered.
Another researcher stepped forward.
—There were no recorded hostile activity or entities emerging, but the residual energy is unusual.
The soldiers remained on alert, weapons ready.
A hardened-looking officer, with a no-nonsense attitude, surveyed the scene with a sharp gaze.
The tension in the air was palpable. No one spoke, but everyone present could feel that something was off.
Cracks were unpredictable, yes, but this level of precision? It was unnatural. Almost as if someone—or something—had manipulated the process from within.
—No signs of recent presence?
One of the technicians hesitated before responding.
—…Actually, yes. There are traces of human activity nearby.
The scientist looked up.
—How many?
—Three individuals. One of them has residual energy linked to the crack phenomenon.
The officer's frown deepened.
—That means someone went in… and came out?
—That's the most probable explanation.
A tense silence settled over the group.
The scientist typed furiously on her tablet.
—We need a full analysis of the area.
If there was external intervention, we must find evidence.
The officer nodded and turned to his men.
—Establish a perimeter. Sweep the entire area. No one gets near without authorization.
The soldiers quickly spread out, securing the scene while the scientists began their investigation.
The woman crossed her arms, staring at the spot where the crack had vanished.
Something didn't add up.
Cracks didn't close this fast on their own.
And especially not when there were clear signs that someone had entered… and left.
—If there was external intervention… then who the hell was it?
""""""""""""""
Elsewhere in the City – A Dark Alley
A puddle of dirty water reflected the flickering glow of a broken streetlamp.
A thin, gray stray cat cautiously lapped at the water.
Then, the shadow fell over it.
No screams. No struggle.
Just a single moment of silence… followed by a shudder.
The cat's body arched unnaturally.
Its fur bristled, its skin twisted, and its bones cracked, stretching out.
Its paws extended, claws sharpening into something far more sinister.
A low humming filled the alley, like the whisper of something ancient stirring from a deep slumber.
And then, the cat was no longer a cat.
Now, it was something bigger.
Something… more humanoid.
Two pale hands flexed, testing their newfound strength and mobility.
The creature grinned, revealing razor-sharp teeth.
—Ahhh… Not much, but at least it will do for now.
It tested its voice, letting each word slide smoothly from its lips.
Then, it examined itself, observing its newly acquired form.
It flexed its fingers, watching how the tendons shifted and settled in this unfamiliar body. Still unstable, still incomplete.
—Mmm… Let's see what this world has to offer for entertainment.
It tilted its head, sniffing the air.
For a moment, something caught its attention.
A trace… an echo of something that shouldn't be here.
It wasn't crack energy. It wasn't from ordinary humans.
It was something different.
Something it hadn't sensed in a long, long time.
The creature frowned.
—Interesting… Something familiar slipped past me.
It remained silent for a few seconds.
—But soon… I'll find it.
And with those final words, it vanished into the city's shadows.