Full Circle

Sharice stared at Lilith in the next room for several minutes before Lilith let on that she noticed. Sharice quickly looked away when Lilith finally stood and approached her. Lilith leaned against the entryway.

"Ask."

Sharice looked up in confusion. "What?"

"I know you have questions. Ask them." Lilith took the space on the opposite end of the couch. "I won't bite."

"What about lightning, or fire, or ice?" Sharice asked jokingly.

"My hands will behave. Besides, I promised my dad not to make your life difficult."

Sharice let her hands relax. "In a way, I envy you."

"Why?"

"You have a child. That is something I took away from myself."

"In your position I may have done the same."

"Then consider yourself fortunate that you're not." Sharice pushed a lock of short black hair behind her hair. "Why didn't you tell Dante that he had a grandson?"

"The same reason he didn't tell me I had a new stepmother. This is the first time we've seen each other in two and a half centuries."

Lilith watched Sharice's jaw drop. "My god," Sharice said. "Why did it take so long for him to return?"

"I don't know, but I wasn't worried." Lilith reached into a bowl of Jolly Ranchers. "Do you want one of these?"

"What does your father's tattoo mean?"

Lilith sat up with a look of confusion. "An interesting change of topic. What tattoo? He doesn't have one that I'm aware of."

"This might sound strange, but it's a flower tattoo he's had for years, since before we met. He says it's called an evening glory, but he won't tell me what it means. Do you know?"

Lilith sighed and turned away. "I don't want to get into that."

"It's almost ironic," Sharice added. "I always had a love for those flowers myself. I had one that I had preserved as a child when he found me."

Lilith wrinkled her forehead in thought. "Now I get what he sees in you. Promise not to ask again, and I'll let you in on it later."

(X)

Dorian kicked in his struggle to get out of Syron's grip. Syron picked him up and carried him to the designated spot in the snow. Syron dropped him next to the woman waiting for him. Dorian fell to his knees and shivered.

"Get up," the woman demanded. Dorian glanced up at her before spitting at her feet. The woman pulled him to his feet by his hair. He found a knife at his throat. "Behave," the woman threatened, "or I'll slit your cute little throat until your head pops off. Understand?"

Dorian nodded. The woman seized his hand and slit the palm. Dorian tugged but wasn't strong enough to break loose.

"He is quite the hassle," Syron said. "Isn't he, Mother?"

"More than he's worth."

Dorian winced as the woman slit his hand again. A little blood spilled before the wound sealed itself. She slashed his hand repeatedly until an adequate amount of blood dripped onto the snow. Then she pushed him to the ground. "Get him out of here," she told her son, "until I need him again."

Dorian forwent further struggling. Ice was forming on his skin and hair. Syron was gentle in returning Dorian to his cell. "I'll let you rest for a while," Syron said, "but when I return, I have my own plans for you."

Dorian waited until Syron closed the door before standing. He moved to walk to the corner where he'd left the comforter, but his knees gave out from under him. His head bounced off the stone floor. He sat up and dragged himself to the corner. He reached for the comforter but lost his balance and fell against the wall. Soaking wet and freezing, Dorian slid to the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut to fight the tears that welled in his eyes. After a few seconds, he felt blood replace the salty water. It froze against his face. He knew that his time was quickly running out.

"Mom," he whispered, "where are you?"

(X)

Dressed in black and wrapped in several white sheets, Dante trekked through a foot of snow towards the fortress. Every few minutes, his left eye tingled slightly, followed by an image of a bloody child. He could not determine whether it was the past or future, but he desperately hoped it was neither. The external lights grew brighter as he slowly neared his destination. He quickly scanned the building before deciding on a method of entry. He noticed an open window with fresh blood flowing from the sill. Upon getting closer, he realized it was being poured out, but he couldn't see who, or what, was on the other side.

Dante glanced around before ditching the white sheets. He jumped up the wall and grabbed the sill. More blood spilled over the edge for a few seconds. He pulled himself up before another wave flowed over him. He withdrew his sword and threw himself through the window in a single motion. Though the room was pitch black, the shard in Dante's head illuminated everything in a bright blue hue for him.

He leapt onto a demon's head and plunged the sword into its eye. He quickly ripped the sword out and severed the snake-like neck. Raw meat that it had been chewing on, along with blood and some bile, splashed across the floor. Dante slid across the floor towards the door. He leaned against it and listened for whatever was on the other side.

(X)

Dorian quivered in a difficult sleep. He felt himself leaning over a cliffside. The water below was covered in ice, but he could still hear the sounds of crashing waves. Everything was covered with an icy blue hue. Dorian felt his foot go over the edge. He struggled to step back, but succeeded only in moving forward. As he felt himself fall over, a hand snatched him and threw him to the ground a safe distance away. Dorian forced himself to look at whoever rescued him.

He saw two men standing between him and the cliff. One of them took a single step and kneeled before him. Dorian sat up straight as the man placed his hand against Dorian's knee. "What do you want?" Dorian asked.

The man placed his other hand over Dorian's face. "It's time to make your choice." He forced Dorian to close his eyes. Dorian rolled himself up like an armadillo. "You know what you have to do," he heard the man say.

Dorian placed his hands over his ears. "I don't want this," he mumbled repeatedly until he realized the two men were gone. He was in his cell again. He took a single sigh before he heard a tapping against the cell door. He slowly lifted his head to get a look. He saw something standing in the darkness on the other side. "I'm not going!" he yelled in panic. "I'm going insane! I'd rather you just kill me!"

"This must be it then," the person on the other side said. In two well placed hits, he broke the hinges and knocked the door over. Dorian cringed at the sound and began screaming again. "Come on!" the man yelled at him.

"No!" Dorian answered. The man approached him and hoisted him to his feet. "Leave me alone!" Dorian swung at him, so he pushed the child against the wall. Dorian thoughtlessly attacked him again, but the man merely stepped back, turned him by the shoulder, and pushed him against the wall again. Dorian stuffed himself into the corner. "Just go away or kill me."

"I can't do either of those."

"What do you want from me!" Dorian wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. The moment he opened them again, he nearly choked on his own breath. "I know you," he whispered. "You're one of them, aren't you?"

Dante deliberately ignored the question. "Fourth God? I'm the Second, and that's my labret you're wearing."

Dorian broke into tears as he threw himself into Dante's arms. Without another spoken word, Dante pulled him close and headed for the window. Before Dante could knock the bars loose, a large head on a long neck lifted itself on the other side. A pair of glowing white eyes stared back at them.

"Oh, shit," Dante said nonchalantly. "An even bigger one." He and Dorian dove for the floor as the demon on the other side drove its head through the barred window.