'l sol tace
Chapter VI
Irrlicht
A/N: I think it's time to acknowledge one of my first followers of this story who never failed to leave me an encouraging comment behind. So, SirenaLoreley, this chapter is for you. I hope you like it ;)
Opening the doors to the shop the next morning, Dante was greeted by the sight of Nero reading again. The kid seemed so absorbed into books lately; he had gone through a stack of dusty tomes in the last few days. Dante found it kind of strange. Someone as impulsive as Nero didn't strike him as a bookworm. The young man lay on his back on the old sofa, book in his lap, blue eyes following the lines unrelenting. His left index finger stroked along the page's edge turning it over after a while and repeated the same process. It was kind of cute.
But Dante had also noticed a second new behavior in the young man. Every time the older hunter returned with company, the ex-knight fled the shop and didn't return for hours. It wasn't hard to guess that the presence of Dante's lovers made Nero feel unwelcome but in Dante's opinion it was still the lesser evil. His devil side still acted up every time he watched the young man too closely. It still caused him to touch the young hunter at every opportunity and he knew it wasn't just a game anymore. He knew. But he couldn't bring himself to stop it. It was as if he had to give in to his demon side on something and touching Nero playfully from time to time caused him the least harm.
"Morning, kid." He didn't really expect a response to his greeting. But as the voice of the ex-knight rang out to him, he turned his head and gave the young man a quick look over.
"You went out?" Nero had found the office empty this morning, which had led him to two conclusions. Either Dante had taken a job which was supposed to be his or the hunter in red was out again to please his overactive libido. Nero didn't like either.
"Had to take care of something. Ya hungry kid?" Dante made his way over to the kitchen.
"Already ate." To illustrate that, Nero gave the empty plate on the coffee table a slight push with his left hand and reached for the glass of tomato juice behind it; never giving up his comfortable position on the sofa in the process. The red liquid passed his lips, leaving them stained red. He noticed Dante still standing in the kitchen doorway, watching him. "What?" The ex-knight tore his eyes from the open book in favor of looking at his roommate. The look he received was quite curious.
"It's nothing." Dante shook his head and entered the kitchen. There was no pizza left from yesterday but he took a look inside the refrigerator and found his earlier observation confirmed. Nero had stocked up their fridge with enough tomato juice to last an entire week. The sight brought a grin to Dante's lips. "Hey kid, do you mind if I take one of these?" He came back into the office, one of the small bottles in hand.
"Suit yourself but don't drink all of them. I just went out to get them." The younger male watched Dante open the bottle and drink its contents in one go. "Thought you had a thing for Jack and beer?" Sitting up, Nero swung his boot clad feet off the arm rest of the sofa, giving the last page a short glance before shutting the dusty book and leaving it on the coffee table.
"I do. But I loved this stuff when I was your age. Brings back memories." Dante watched the ex-knight reach for his empty glass and plate, stacking them and bringing the used dishes back into the kitchen.
"Don't get all nostalgic on me, old man. It's just juice."
Watching Nero made something clear; the young man had fallen back into his old routine, ignoring his perfectly fine demonic arm, like it had no movement at all. Even though the sling he had worn back in Fortuna was gone, the white bandage seemed to provoke the same behavior. Always favoring his left side, Nero's right arm hung lifeless at the side of his ignorant owner, seemingly forgotten. Dante didn't like the sight of it and felt the urge to induce some change in that pattern.
Lady called later, informing Dante about a job offer which he directed to Nero without a thought. By the sound of it, it wouldn't even suffice as an entertainment for one hunter, let alone both of them and he had promised the young man the next few offers anyway. He watched them leaving together and looked forward to an enjoyable afternoon with his office all to himself for a change.
"Oh, there we go again," Lady sighed as they opened the double doors to the shop. They had heard it before they went inside. Dante was upstairs, playing his guitar and he didn't handle the devils arm too kindly. If Nero wanted to describe it, loud would be the first thing that came to his mind. Lady hopped onto the desk, eyes scanning a few papers laying there, searching for indications of jobs - or in her eyes, back payment.
"Uhm… should I tell him we're back?" Nero wasn't so sure if Dante would join them so soon. His private little jam session sounded like it was a lot of fun. But Lady had insisted to have a few words with Dante concerning the deal he had made with Nero.
"Don't worry, he knows we are here." She crossed her legs and readjusted her-in Nero's eyes-too short skirt. Not that she wasn't pretty, he just found it distracting. The sound from upstairs became even louder and Lady seemed to lose her patience. "He loves that stupid thing."
"It's demonic, right?" Nero had seen Dante's guitar and it had given him a strange feeling. Certainly powerful but nothing he would keep around his bedroom. But Dante – well, Dante liked to handle things differently.
"Yes. Nevan is one of Dante's devils arms. He's got quite a collection of them. Didn't he show them to you?" The young man shook his head. No, Dante hadn't made a big deal of getting the ex-knight settled in. In fact, he had treated Nero as if the young man was already part of the shop, leaving him to find out everything he needed to know by himself. But Nero could tell which of the weapons, and Dante had quite a few, had demon souls. They called out to him. Even the creepy suitcase, stuffed underneath the low table which served as Dante's mini bar had demonic power.
Angry about being ignored, Lady made her way to the stairs. "Dante! Get your ass down here before I come and get you!" In response, the guitar screeched a few higher notes as if to imitate the sound of her angry voice. Nero had to bite back a smirk.
A few minutes later the music stopped and Dante made his appearance downstairs. Lady watched him with a furious expression while Nero kept himself occupied in the kitchen. "You've got some nerve thinking you can screw with me!"
"I'd never do that. You know I wouldn't, right?" He smirked.
"Shut up, you just made that deal because you thought I wouldn't take the money from a kid!" She had the urge to shoot him to wipe that self-pleased grin out of his face.
"Did you?"
"Of course I didn't!" He had known it would work. "Don't you feel ashamed to use him like that?" She pointed her finger in the direction of the kitchen.
"Oh c'mon, Lady. He needs some money to get started here. Where's the shame in that?" With time he had come to master that innocent act.
"Yeah, right. That's the reason I'm sure. You should be disgusted with yourself," she hissed at him, using her finger to jab it into his chest. "In fact, you should apologize to Nero for using him like that. I bet you've got some reason I don't even care to know about by now." With that she let him stand there and went into the kitchen. "Nero."
The ex-knight leaned against the wall next to the window, a glass of water in his hand, pretending to watch the street. It wasn't like he would be able to ignore what the two had argued about. With her appearance, he snapped his gaze back inside. He could tell she was sorry for his sake even though it wasn't for the right reason. He didn't mind the deal they had made. Sure, Lady was angry about it but he didn't mind. Dante could use him for money because Nero was using him to get this job.
"Listen, I'm not mad at you, okay? It's not your fault." He knew that already. "So… remember what we talked about earlier, okay? You got the directions?" He took a crumbled piece of paper out of his pocket to show it to her and nodded. Their next job. "Good. Call me if you have any trouble." He wouldn't have. Demon hunting was a piece of cake in comparison to human relationships.
"Remind me, why are we out here again?" Dante was in a rotten mood. They had spent two hours driving outside the city to find their next customer. Now they found themselves in a swamp like nowhere with no living soul anywhere to find. The ground was soaking wet and slippery so they had left the motorcycle behind a few miles ago, taking on their search on foot.
"You think complaining will help you here?" Nero didn't like to listen to Dante's cursing and griping. He had taken the lead since it was getting dark fast and it seemed there was only a narrow path leading them to a destination still unknown. His Devil Bringer was glowing softly, providing him with enough light to avoid stumbling into one of the small ponds surrounding them.
"Maybe." Dante shoved his hands inside the pockets of his pants, following the younger hunter with surprisingly light steps. Finding his way in the dark wasn't such a problem for him.
"C'mom, Dante. It's not my fault she sent us both out to finish the job. I guess she thinks a quarter of our share is still better than nothing." Nero hadn't minded to take the job alone but Lady had insisted. From what he had heard they would hunt down a couple of Mephistos and Fausts, pestering an elderly married couple living somewhere out here. It seemed like the kind of place those demons would like. But Nero could handle them.
"You got that right," Dante agreed. In fact he was pissed because Lady had found a way to foil his brilliant plan. So not only he would be forced to work for almost nothing since he had to share his half of the payment with Lady but he doubted that there would be much for him to do out here with Nero around. So all he got was a long ride and wet feet.
Nero sighed and jumped over some crags in his way. Next time he would simply ignore Lady's assignments and go alone. She didn't need to know, neither did Dante. His wandering thoughts came back as he saw a pale light not far from them. It was careening over the water's surface like a floating flame. "What's that?" Nero pointed in the direction of it but it vanished.
"What's what?" Also avoiding tripping over the rocks on the ground, Dante let his eyes search for what Nero had spotted.
"There was a… never mind." He ran his left hand through his pale hair and moved on still wondering what that light had been.
"Seriously, how can someone live out here," Dante grumbled behind him. Nero didn't intend to answer him and encourage Dante to proceed with his whining. He just let out another sigh. And there it was again. Closer this time not far from him, see-sawing innocently over the pond in front of him. It looked like a white fire.
"There!" This time it didn't vanish and Dante saw what Nero was so curious about. A soft smile tugged at his lips as he watched the wandering flame. He didn't go after it but Nero on the other hand seemed intrigued. The young hunter hurried his steps, afraid the light would disappear again. Strange he thought, as the path on front of him forked and became wider, leading him directly to the flickering flame. He hadn't noticed this path before. And he was right about that because as soon as he set foot on the seemingly even ground, it became again muddy water, leaving him standing knee deep in the cold liquid. "Shit!" He took a step back at the feeling of water running inside his leather boots, glaring at the living flame. Behind him, Dante was laughing, still standing on solid ground and watching Nero making a fool out of himself.
"That's not funny! God, I hate wet boots…" The younger half demon shook his boot clad feet to get rid of the water but it was in vain. "Gah! Just great! What is that thing?" He turned back to Dante and shot him an angry glare.
"It's an Irrlicht¹," Dante said knowingly but the confusion in the younger hunter's eyes got him to explain. "Irrwisch, an ignis fatuus, a Ferbane, maybe you want to call it Will-o'-the-wisp. Pick your choice. Don't worry. They are harmless. Kind of playful though."
"Yeah? Little bastard almost lured me into a fucking pond," Nero answered, looking over his shoulder, scanning his surroundings for the little demon and causing Dante to chuckle softly.
"Well, maybe it got bored. Doesn't seem like it gets many visitors to play with around here. - You grew up on an island, didn't you? Shouldn't you be used to them? It seems like you are good at sensing them."
Nero frowned at him, then eying his Devil Bringer he said: "I can feel them. Demonic power, any kind of it." Lifting his gaze back to the older hunter he added. "Even you."
"Makes you feel all hot and eager, doesn't it? Well, I can't blame you." Dante ran a teasing hand down his torso, grinning devilish at the younger man.
"Cocky bastard. I swear, someday I'll - woah!" It was like a cold touch, chilling to the bone that made Nero stop his threat. He felt it at his back, drifting up to his neck. Whirling around, he saw nothing. Behind him he could hear Dante laugh at him. Turning back to the hunter, he still couldn't figure it out. He felt his white hair raise, causing him to shiver involuntarily. "What the fuck!" His Devil Bringer tingled, the claws twitching. The cold was spreading inside him, moving to his chest. Wide eyed, Nero starred down. Pale light, like airy flames lingered on his skin. He took a step back and the Irrlicht stayed lingering in midair in between the two hunters. "Little bastard," Nero snarled.
Dante was laughing so hard, he felt tears in his eyes. "You should see your face," he said, pointing at Nero.
"Stop laughing!" But Dante did no such thing. "C'mer you little..." The Devil Bringer grabbed the pale light, squeezing it. Nero didn't know why, but at that moment, Dante's laughter stopped suddenly and he was watching the little demon in Nero's hand with astonishment. The flame flickered violently in the half devil's grip, getting brighter. "Not so funny anymore, huh?" Nero grinned at the little demon.
"Nero." Dante's voice had an edge to it the younger man couldn't quite place. "Let it go."
"Huh?" But before he could do so, Nero saw his Devil Bringer suddenly engulfed in pale flames. It didn't burn him; it felt cool to the touch. Spreading his claws, he wanted to pull them out of the fire but couldn't. It lingered at his hand and it seemed like it was absorbed into the demonic arm. "Shit!" Staring at his right hand, Nero watched the little demon vanish, feeling a chill run down his arm. His eyes flashed back to Dante but he couldn't read the expression on the hunter's face. "Not again," he moaned. Absorbing demonic energy without his intention, Nero's Devil Bringer began to creep the young half-breed out.
"Huh." Dante sounded curious but not pleased. He closed the distance between himself and Nero and took a grip at the ex-knight's wrist. "Happens a lot lately, hm?"
"Kind of," Nero admitted scowling.
"And you wouldn't have any idea why, now would you?" The Devil Bringer was back to his usual soft glow.
"I don't," Nero lied, freeing himself and shoving his hands into his pockets. Dante gave him a searching look but decided to let it go for now. Instead he moved on.
"You shouldn't be able to touch them. They are usually harmless demons, lingering between our world and the demon's. They have been around this world a long time and people came up with various assumptions of what they are. Some believe they are lost souls of trespassers, suicides or even unchristened children. The fact that they cannot cross into our world completely keeps them from causing harm to humans and the same time, preventing them to be touched."
"Yeah? Well I could touch it alright and it doesn't feel so powerless if you ask me." He could still feel the chill running through his arm.
"I didn't say they were powerless, just limited. It's not physical power, it's more like mind games." The young man had an idea of what kind of games they liked.
"You seem to know a lot about them," Nero noted, amazement shining in his eyes. He never thought Dante would be versed in demonology. Sure he had to know some things or he wouldn't have survived so far. He just didn't seem to be the type who read books about it. The older hunter just shrugged.
After another ten minutes of walking, they reached the old mansion standing next to an old lake. Behind it, they could see an avenue lined with old willow trees and antique looking lanterns. "Heh and I was beginning to wonder how some old people could make it trough that swamp. Just great." It seemed Dante's anger had returned. Nero rolled his eyes. He just wanted to get this job done and return to the shop. "At least it looks like they can afford our services." Nero had to agree with that. The mansion looked impressive enough.
They were greeted by a servant who made them wait inside but not for long before an old man joined them. He wore an old looking black suit, had sparse white hair and deep set eyes that looked curiously at the two hunters. "So you are the two hunters Lady recommended."
"You know her?" Nero got the creeping feeling that this job was more than it appeared to be.
"Yes, yes, of course. Our little Mary – or Lady as she wants to be called these days – came here often when she was a child. I knew her parents." The ex-knight exchanged a short look with his partner who sighed and shrugged defeated.
"So how can we help you?" Nero felt the need to cut the pleasantness's short.
"You see, lately we have a little problem with demons in our backyard. They scared my wife and even killed the gardener. Get rid of them." The old man used his cane to point at a window, leading into the so called backyard. The area was wide enough to accommodate another building in it.
"The gardener, you say," Dante mused, amazed by this kind of imperturbability.
"Yes, a fine young lad. A pity we had to lose him. Most unfortunate." The two half demons came to the conclusion, that Lady got one or two quirks growing up with someone like this around.
"Well, consider it done. We can't have some demons running around such a nice couples backyard, now can we?" Grinning, Nero nodded to Dante's words and followed the older hunter to search for the demons.
The moment they closed the door behind them, Nero's Devil Bringer's glow intensified and they were greeted by the sight of three Mephistos lurking around. "So where is the nasty one?" Both of them knew that the accompanying Faust couldn't be far.
"Let's find out," Dante suggested and pulled Ebony and Ivory.
"You think you can keep up with me, old man?" To illustrate his words, Nero used his Devil Bringer to grip one of the flying creatures out of midair and smashed it into the ground, removing its dark shroud in the process.
"Have a little faith in your elders, kid." Using his beloved guns, Dante took the remaining two demons down the same time, watching them crawl away from him on the ground at the moment they fell down to regain their dark disguise again. "Not so fast." The first weakened demon had nothing to subtend Rebellions swift strike, throwing it across the yard, directly onto the second one, enabling Dante to finish them off together. A screech behind him informed the older hunter that Nero too had finished his task. By now he could smell the remaining Faust between him and Nero but he didn't turn around. Soon enough the glowing fingers darted out to attack them both but Nero just grabbed onto it with his Devil Bringer and Dante avoided it by side stepping.
"What about ugly here? You want it?" Nero twisted the glowing finger in his Bringer until it broke off.
"It seems more attached to you, kid. Suit yourself."
"Heh." The younger half-breed didn't hesitate to make short work of the remaining demon, smashing it into the ground repeatedly until it stopped moving and dissolved into black smoke.
Collecting their payment went fast since neither Nero nor Dante felt the urge to remain too long in the company of the old man who had been watching them from the window. Looking back over his shoulder at the old mansion made Nero feel a cold shiver run down his spine. "Weird guy." Dante nodded in agreement. They made their way back to Dante's motorcycle.
Back at the shop Dante felt kind of restless. Not only had the job been terribly unsatisfying when it came down to demon slaying but he also had to deal with Nero sitting too close behind him on the two hour ride back to town. It all gave him the urge to burn some of that build up energy – fast. A trip to Love Planet was in order but he could tell that Nero had other plans with him. The young man was complaining for the same reasons, well almost the same; Dante could see the tension in Nero, could smell the change in hormones on him but Nero didn't acknowledge his state and put the blame on his desire to fight. Maybe he should indulge the ex-knight for once.
"Hey Nero." The younger half-breed turned around. "Wanna get your ass kicked for a change?" Dante twirled Ebony around his finger and gave his roommate a curt nod to pick up Red Queen again.
"Well I guess your ego can afford to take a few blows when I take you down, old man." Not to disappoint, Nero grinned, took hold of his weapons and went outside, followed by Dante.
"We will see, kid." There was never any traffic in front of Dante's shop. The last stubborn residents had fled the area soon enough after the hunter had opened his business. After countless reports of noise disturbance and fights around the neighborhood it was the smartest thing to do. "Time to play. Let's have some fun." Lifting Rebellion off his shoulder, Dante stretched out his left arm and beckoned Nero in a taunting motion. The ex-knight scratched his nose, grinning.
"Heh, don't come to me whining when I kick your ass." Red Queen hit the ground, sparks flying and Nero revved his blade to life. She was purring under his touch and he yearned to feel her clashing with Dante's sword. It had been far too long. Taking his chance, Nero was the one to attack first. He charged at Dante head-on but side stepped him in the last moment to avoid the first brutal crossing of their blades and took a swing at the older fighter from the side. Dodging the attack, Dante pushed Nero back, following him without easing up the pressure between the two swords and tried to overpower the young half-breed as soon as possible. His eyes widened in bemusement for a moment as he saw the anger in Nero's face. The younger male didn't like it one bit. But Nero wouldn't be a fighter if he couldn't adapt to the situation.
The ex-knight rolled to the side, gaining a few yards of needed space and aimed at Dante's legs to force him back further. The elder slayer jumped back, pulled Ebony and shot at Nero deliberately missing the younger hunter, but compelling him to take a step to the side, slowing down his next attack. They went after each other with swords and guns. Whereas Dante was playful, Nero was reckless and when Dante would joke around Nero would be angry and throw an insult at his opponent. They both were arrogant in their fighting to the breaking point, not giving an inch unless defeated. Retreat was not an option. Not even in a mocking fight. But Dante was more experienced in combat and so it was him, who crossed Rebellion over Red Queen, and kept her down with sheer force as he pulled Ebony again in a fluent motion and pressed the barrel to Nero's temple. "Gotcha." The younger male froze in defeat, one knee on the ground and his head lowered.
"Damn," he huffed, slightly out of breath. "Heh, I'd like to see you without a sword. You won't talk big anymore if that happens." Nero got up on his feet again, dusting off his now ripped jeans.
"You think so? Let's find out who can't handle it then." Dante made his way back to the shop, Nero close behind.
"You serious? Ebony and Ivory won't stand a chance in close combat against my Bringer." They had tested that during their first encounter back in Fortuna already.
"Okay, let's leave the guys out of this," Dante agreed and Nero thought he was joking. No swords, no guns; that left Dante practically defenseless against his Devil Bringer. Back inside, the older male placed his sword against the wall, stripping himself off Ebony and Ivory, leaving them on the desk.
"Huh." Nero did the same, still not sure what the older hunter had in mind but he was sure the odds were in his favor. Then he saw Dante reaching for one of his devils arms and got curious. "What's that?"
"I've always wanted to try this," Dante mused and a grin tore at his lips. A bright glow surrounded him as Gilgamesh merged with his owner. Nero watched in awe as the weapon formed around Dante, gauntlets, mask, greaves and back armor contrasting with the red coat. "You like that, kid?" Dante's voice sounded a bit distorted from behind the mask.
"Not bad but I'm not so sure about those wings, old man. A bit over the top, don't you think?" That caused the older hunter to laugh. He opened the mask and took a look over his shoulder.
"Don't know. I guess I quite like it. It adds to the style." Shrugging, Nero turned back towards the door, leaving it up to Dante to follow him. He had never seen the older half demon use his weapon but he was itching to see how it performed against his Devil Bringer. He didn't have to wait long. They both took position once again in front of the shop and Nero's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the increased speed of Dante's attacks, caused by the greaves.
"Tch!" He barely dodged the first blow; Dante's gauntlets scratched against his Bringer but couldn't penetrate the thick surface of the demonic skin. He tried to grab the older half-breed to cancel his speed out but Dante just danced out of his reach so fluently that it looked surreal. It seemed like the older hunter had fun watching Nero try to get hold of him, always escaping his reach in the last moment as he noticed the young man getting more and more frustrated about it. "You wanna fight or dance, old man?"
"Maybe both?" Dante mocked and took a bow.
The ex-knight growled dangerously and lunged again at his partner but Dante side-stepped him and ruffled Nero's hair in a playful gesture. "Attack me," the younger male demanded, not feeling up to such games at the moment. Dante just grinned at him and bent his knees slightly, ready to charge at the furious hunter. The picture of Nero being pinned down underneath him crossed his mind and he found it rather appealing to force the younger half devil into complete submission. He could feel the power of Gilgamesh as he pounced at Nero, too fast to be dodged but although his aim and timing had been perfect, he never reached his target, metal claws ripping through thin air before scratching the cold surface of the pavement as he stumbled through his own momentum. Puzzled, Dante took a look over his shoulder and found Nero standing a few yards behind him, self pleased expression on his face.
"Sweet", the ex-knight mumbled. Dante came back on his feet, eying the younger man curiously before a grin took over his lips.
"Nice trick, kid. Got that recently?" he accused his sparring partner. He had seen Nero vanish in front of his eyes and even if the young half-breed was fast, he wasn't that fast. Nero just rolled his eyes and shrugged in an innocent gesture. "Well, you won't have so much luck next time," Dante promised, rising his hand taunting. Playing tricks like that didn't come naturally to the young half demon. The first time had been an unintended moment, a silent promise of what he could do; a whisper from within. But he couldn't get the hang of it yet. As he tried again, Dante seemed to notice and interrupted his attempt with the brute force of his demonic weapon. Cursing under his breath, Nero dodged. "See?"
Being so close to Dante, Nero tried to grip him with his right hand but Dante used the speed of Gilgamesh again and twisted the younger hunter's Devil Bringer behind his back, kicking Nero's legs out from under him and smashed him into the ground. One knee pressed onto the small of his back, Nero couldn't escape Dante's hold. "Game over."
"Let go," Nero hissed through gritted teeth. Slowly letting go of the younger's arm, Dante stood up again and watched Nero turn over onto his back. He stretched out a conciliatory hand and pulled the defeated hunter back onto his feet.
"You liked the idea of mind games, I take it? Got the feeling for your little Irrlicht? You should hold onto that, it could come in handy." Gilgamesh obeyed his master's wish and separated from the hunter again. "Someone once wrote a book about a war between heaven and hell. It says the devil himself was like an Irrwisch, tempting Eve and causing the fall of man."² What caught Nero's attention in the evenly spoken words was not the story behind, not the interest in the mentioned book. It was the name. Eve or Eva, a name more important to the half devil in front of him, than the older hunter would admit. The ex-knight had wondered about it before as he had heard about the strange password for the first time. Eva. "Do you want to talk about what really happed to you back in Fortuna?" Dante's words snapped him back from his musing instantly. He didn't respond but his eyes narrowed at the question. Realizing it still wasn't the time for answers Dante turned around and went back inside. Nero shoved his hands into his pockets and followed him.
A/N: Have you ever noticed how devoted Nero is to keep up his charade when it comes to his Devil Bringer? After Dante's famous departure through the roof top, Nero receives Red Queen from Kyrie and assembles her using only his left hand (skillful young man, isn't he?). That's how I imagine him acting around the house even without his sling.
- ¹ Growing up in northern Germany I once or twice had the pleasure to find one of those interesting phenomena. As children we had fun running around the marsh lands or taking trips to the sea. Irrlicht or Irrwisch is the German word for will-o'-wisp. Every nation who knows these lights has its own little popular beliefs about them and I'm quite fond of them as you can tell. Indeed the phenomenon has nothing to do with demons. Most likely it's spontaneous ignition of methane (marsh gas). But where is the fun in that?
- ² The book Dante was talking about was written by John Milton. Paradise Lost was written as an epic poem in the 17th-century. Book nine describes how Satan misleads Eve in front of the Tree of Knowledge:
[...] as when a wandering fire,
Compact of unctuous vapour, which the night
Condenses, and the cold environs round,
Kindled through agitation to a flame,
Which oft, they say, some evil Spirit attends,
Hovering and blazing with delusive light,
Misleads the amazed night-wanderer from his way
To bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool;
There swallowed up and lost, from succour far.
(book IX - 634-642)