The cave stretched deep into the earth, its walls slick with moisture, the air thick with the scent of decay. Dante moved cautiously, his bare feet silent against the uneven stone. Though his mind was still struggling to accept his new form, his body moved with an unnatural ease, every sense sharper than before.
It was unsettling.
His muscles coiled with raw power, his claws twitched at the slightest noise, and the hunger—always present—clawed at his mind. But Dante fought it down. He would not succumb.
A faint glow flickered ahead. He approached warily, eyes narrowing as he stepped into a chamber of bones.
The remains of monsters and humanoids alike were scattered across the floor, piled in grim arrangements. At the center, a stone pedestal jutted from the ground, bathed in eerie, flickering light. Upon it sat a blade, dark and jagged, its surface pulsating like a beating heart.
Dante swallowed hard. A cursed weapon? A relic?
His instincts screamed at him to take it. Power radiated from it, dark and inviting.
But something else drew his attention.
Beyond the pedestal, a hunched figure stirred among the bones. A goblin-like creature, its gray skin sagging, its single eye glowing dimly in the darkness. It turned to him, and Dante froze.
The creature wasn't hostile.
Instead, it simply stared. Watching. Studying.
Then it spoke.
"A demon… that does not feast?"
The voice was dry, ancient. Dante clenched his fists, stepping forward. "Who are you?"
The creature tilted its head. "A forgotten one. A shade of what was." It gestured weakly to the chamber. "I have seen many come. Many take. Many fall."
Dante eyed the sword warily. "What is this place?"
The creature chuckled. "A test. A curse. A choice."
Dante didn't like the way it said that last word. His gaze flickered back to the blade. He didn't need to touch it to know—it was a weapon of hunger, meant to amplify what he already struggled against. If he took it, he might never be able to resist the pull of his demonic nature again.
"Pass." Dante stepped back.
The creature's eye widened slightly. Then it let out a wheezing laugh.
"Interesting…"
Dante frowned. "You expected me to take it?"
The shade nodded. "All before you have. They take. They consume. They lose themselves." It leaned forward, that glowing eye piercing into him. "But you… you reject what you are. Why?"
Dante hesitated.
He had no grand speech, no perfect answer. Just a gut instinct, a defiance buried deep in his soul. He had been human once—and though his body had changed, his heart had not.
"I won't let this world decide what I become."
For a moment, there was silence. Then the shade grinned, sharp teeth flashing.
"Then perhaps… you will survive."
The air shifted. The bones trembled. A new notification flickered across Dante's vision.
Trial Passed: Path of the Stray Demon
New Title Acquired: Forsaken One
Before he could process the meaning, the chamber began to collapse. The shade gave one last chuckle before fading into the darkness.
Dante turned on his heel and ran.
As the cavern crumbled behind him, one thought burned in his mind.
He was not like the others.
And that meant trouble was coming.