Beginning Of the End

This story starts with two heroes, Dante and Virgil, currently stuck in the underworld where they now have to fight and find the skeleton key to open the portal back into human civilization. But before they do anything, they need to try to get out of the pit that they are in, with no way to fight or to move.

A few hours passed, and Dante and Virgil stayed put in the pit, until suddenly Dante, the hero of this story, decides to befriend and “work” for their enemies to try to escape the Deadman’s pit, then they can figure out how to return home. A guard came to make sure Dante and Virgil were still there, which they were, and that is when Dante calls over the guard and uses his skills in manipulation and mischievousness to earn the guard's trust, but they will have him following them everywhere in the Underworld, just to be safe in case anyone asks questions. After what seemed to be an easy trick on Dante’s part, it turned on both of them in a way they would never expect. The guard was not completely under Dante’s mind control since these creatures are different to humans in every way imaginable. He played along only to take them to his Emperor, to decide their fate for trying to mind control and manipulate a guard. Things have gotten worse than Dante and Virgil could have imagined. Now, they have no chance but to fight for their lives and take back their weapons from the emperor so hopefully they end this before the creatures find out that they want to return to the human world.

After what seemed to have ended in defeat, Virgil pulled a secret move that he had been keeping from Dante for a long time, until today when their lives were at risk. Dante was not always a fighter for the good; he was born into a dark magic family. There is where he learned how to perform and control his dark magic powers to defeat anyone who opposed him and his family.

Now he had to use his dark magic powers to protect him and Dante, while hopefully getting the skeleton key from the emperor. After the Emperor saw that Virgil had obtained his powers, he knew he had to fight with everything he has on his own because if he sends reinforcements, Dante and Virgil will plow through them like butter. Dante and Virgil rallied up, getting ready to fend off the emperor while trying to obtain the skeleton key and return home. As soon as they were running towards the emperor, he duplicated himself twenty times all around them, not knowing which one is the real one, until the real Emperor started laughing in the corner knowing he outplayed them and won, but not completely yet. The duplicates swarmed Dante and Virgil, with them trying to hold out as much as they can until everyone vanished, including the emperor. This was the work of Virgil with the use of his dark magic, sending everyone excluding the duplicates to the shadow realm. Now, as the heroes stand, the advantage is with them since they depleted all of the emperor’s magic and power to fight. He looks weak and frail, it’s like this isn’t the real one. But after all the duplicates vanished, so did his powers and his mind and body, as it seems he was indirectly connected to each and every one of the duplicates, he just didn’t realize the toll it would take on his body.

After seeing what has become of the “All Mighty Emperor”, Dante and Virgil did not feel right just killing him and taking the key to return home. They huddled up and discussed what to do with him, until they reached an idea: make the Emperor think that they are taking him with them. Taking the key will be easy; he does not have any defenses left, and he will be begging for a quick release of death.

They were too late; the emperor died on his own. His body could not take the pain anymore and the weakness, but the whole reason as to why Dante and Virgil fought him was to get the skeleton key, but the key is trapped inside him while being magically bound to his soul.

As the emperor takes his last breath, the skeleton key begins to glow in his hands. Dante steps forward, but the key burns him. A voice whispers from the key “Only the worthy may pass”. Dante looks at Virgil with shock, not knowing how to pass this. Virgil looks back over to Dante and says “Fear not, you may not be worthy but let us go in together, then we go together. With clean hands.”

They pass through the portal sending them back home, not by theft or force but because they chose not to kill.

Redemption opens doors that violence cannot.