Chapter 10: The three tests
Meanwhile on the top floor of Sparda Company, hidden away from the eyes of its human employees, there sat the King on his throne with his clay mask smiling freakishly right at its owner. Tempted, not he was, for he's more interested into the gigantic computer monitor that took space along his wall. His eyes were weary and heavy, yet he did not bother himself from taking a single break even for a stretch. He kept monitoring his subject from his computer monitor intently like a scientist waiting for his lab rat to prove his long worked theory.
The subject awfully looked like Dante.
"It's been exactly 43 hours you are monitoring Dante, my Lord. How about a little break? I have prepared some scones and honey milk for you."
"Not now Phinneas." The Nephilim replied. His voice was dry and weak.
"I respect your choice to make him your champion, but that does not mean you have to ignore your body condition." Phinneas moved closer pushing a cart tray filled with a jug of water, a plate with some lovely scones on it, and a glass of cold honey milk.
The old butler handed the water jug to his master. Within three shots, The Nephilim immediately washed his dessert throat. The rushing sensation from the refreshing cool liquid within instantly revitalized the man like anew. As starving as he was, he single handedly stuffed the scones like a wolf ignoring the taste and washed the remnants in his throat off with the cold honey milk. Watching this bestial side from his master, the demon butler in a form of an old man could only shook his head from his master's behavior.
So much for nobility.
"Thanks for your concern Phinneas, what I will become without you?"
"It's my honor milord. And if I were you, I would be taking a break. And By this, I mean right now."
"I'll pass on that. I am more concerning about our subject right now."
"I don't see any more reasons for you to put your concern into him." Phinneas tidying the cart. "Not as much as the first time when you had your eyes on him, milord. Besides, Juuzou Kutsuwagi has prepared a bed for him to spend the night instead in the cold brig. As for his roommates however, that will be the least concern for us right now."
"There are more than that, Phinneas."
"And may I know why?"
Crack! Crack!His bones made several nasty cracks as The Nephilim turned to his butler.
"We are in the brink of war here with Phantom Task. After the attack during the grand exhibition, we cannot allow them to corner us and pull a check like in the chess. And I want to make sure that I can secure a flawless, no no no, hold on. That would be impossible." He corrected. "At least I want to make sure that ISA won the war. In order to do that, I have to sharpen every single piece we have no matter how sharp it is."
"I see your point, but you must remember, a string no matter how strong it is will be eventually snapped if you set it too hard."
"I am not."
"You are not." The old butler stood beside his master. "But you will."
"Do tell me why."
"Very well Milord. But first of all, do you mind me to speak to my heart's content first regarding this question?"
The Nephilim gracefully swayed his hand inviting his wisest demonic butler.
"Thank you my lord. Before I proceed, for what purpose you have gone through this far just to protect the lives of mortal?"
"That's easy. Because their lives matter, simple as that."
Phinneas chuckled. Then laughed at his master's foolishness. He cleared his throat as he locked his gaze at the Nephilim. Though age did its cruelty on the damned soul, Phinneas' eye was burning passionately with scholarship understanding.
"Likewise Dante, the one whom we are fixated onto, you are indeed the worst liar ever. You do not possess the slightest will to protect their lives. You are using them instead. You, who is deemed as the Prince of Darkness after throwing your inner demon and robbed away its power to regain your blading skill to rule the underworld. A chivalrous journey as it seemed for one to battle his inner self, yet filth in reality."
Multiple cracks running across the room as the Nephilim flexing his right hand into a fist.
"I am not using them."
His breath was improperly in rush. Stoic as it seemed, but in truth was trembling behind his cold demeanor that slightly shaken.
"It takes a strong man to deny the reality in front of him, but when the reality does not favor him, he creates his own."
KASHING! A glint of light flashing across the room. Phinneas was familiar with the icy cold metal having its bleeding edge tongue at the center of the bridge connecting between his head and his body. His master's breathing was in rush like a F1 racing machine in need for more speed faster than a light. Alas, he kept his cool and talking like usual.
"Keep talking."
"During the journey, I saw you stained your prideful hands from the blood of your fellows- the one whom you deemed as your brother in arms in the judgement of your sword. Be remind you that it was her, whose blood you mercilessly spilled. Then, you were seduced by your inner devil to mercilessly murder him. It did not shatter my heart witnessing my lord's final moment but what shattered my heart, was the moment when you freed your angelic mother from the devil's torment. You, who was blinded in pursue of power, coldly severed the bond of God by heartless parting you uttered. Had you had the slightest idea that your mother longed for both of you for all these times and only you who managed to set her free from her bind?! As for the rest, I don't think that we need to go through what makes you now." Phinneas cleared his throat. "Prior to your father's marriage to your mother, I swore in my name to serve his house. Although it was he whom returned my eye, but you are still my other master after all. Now, here is the situation: You are not ready for the upcoming war. Neither does Dante. Physical strength is one thing that two of you possess without doubt for those powers are beyond the mortal's reach. What I am concerned, is the inner self from you two and truthfully, I see that both of you are sharing a similar shackle. After I looked into Dante the very moment when I met him, I saw denial, sorrow, and fear. The more I dove into him, I saw a pitiful sight of a man who took away his brother's life in order to protect the human realm from the devil's invasion- it was the similar moment when you dueled him for the right to conquer the mortals after the three of you threw the former demon emperor together from its throne. As time passes Dante also longing for his lost brother despite being surrounded by new souls, but also harboring his fear and resentment toward his other half. You, on the other hand, is haunted by guilt and keep chasing the dead man's shadow which I personally find it's a futile act but as a young man as you are, you do not heed the old man's advice…sometimes like this one for instance. However, even it's 0.01 percent it's still deemed as a chance and I am intrigued with the end of your line."
"And your point is?"
Phinneas raised three solid poles from his right hand.
"Three tests! Likewise Jacob who was sent into the devil's hand by The Holy One to prove his faith, I am proposing three tests for Dante. The first one is the test of wisdom, the second is the test of skills, lastly the test of acceptance! The last one however, is meant for both of you to face your ghost. Dante is haunted by his past, therefore when the encounter with Phantom Task at the exhibition day in I.S Academy that day, he gave birth to his adversary's ghost to punish him...to torment him because of his existence. And you too, my lord. It is not the ghost that now haunt you in your past journey, but the new one that born from your guilt for chasing the dead man's shadow. None of you are free souls until you confront your own."
The Nephilim adverting his eyes, then he controlled his fiery breathing into a calm flowing pace like a water in surprisingly short time. The Nephilim gave a short but deep thought concerning his wisest demon's proposal.
"And what do you need to make this test of yours in motion?"
"Your demon army, my lord."
The Nephilim fell silent. Demons are known for their wicked double edge tongue nature. Even for his father's most loyal demon, he still could not trust fully trust him yet. He had to exercise caution. Extreme caution. For one slightest mistake meant that he could wage an end war between heaven and hell. Of course, he did not want to speed the Judgement Day nor wish for that day to come though.
"I reckon that violence is still your taboo?"
"Sometimes we have to break our own rules to change."
"What if he's not into your game? What if he walked away? Putting my armies in motion does not guarantee he's involved in your play even that he's answering his nature, instinct, or call of duty."
Phinneas unraveled his mechanical eye. The only odd part of his body consisted of small gears as in swatch's and began turning downwards. The computer inside the room became static of the unearthly power Phinneas emitted, then flickered into three faces. The first one is a beautiful raven haired woman with a sharp look, the second one also a woman but possess a short hair that reached her shoulder with a stunning face outmatched the first one but tainted by a scar that drawn across her face, lastly is a male. The Nephilim was awfully aware all of them. Especially the last one whom was a splitting image of the first one.
"Behold my lord, there are many souls tied with Dante. From all of them, only these three have the strongest ties with him."
"Explain why you involve Orimura siblings into this bloody play!"
"As you wish. He favors the big sister."
"In their cat and mouse relationship? More like they share a hate and hate relationship. You don't make sense here."
"Since when does a feeling…in other words, love makes any sense, my lord? A beauty may love a beast, a pupil desire her teacher, or even a fool who wish to be one with the wise? Just like him who favored a mortal woman not because of flesh, but her soul."
The Nephilim leapt a heartbeat. Love, huh? He thought that for a moment.
"Besides, does it not tempt you to challenge once more…"
The Nephilim broke cold sweats. Eyes were dilating and blood shot veins popped in and outside of his eyes. Eyeballs were spasming like a tremor as well as his breathing.
"The power that outmatched you? The power without limit known as…love?"
Seduced by the sweet words and succumbed to the temptation, the Nephilim flicked his sword away from his butler and caught his breath.
"What about…Ichika? That kid…has nothing to do…with Dante. Nor any of this!"
"Not with Dante indeed. But a person known as Tony Redgrave."
"Tony Redgrave?"
"I shall send you the brief soonest. Time is running short, my lord. What will be your call?"
"Very well." The Nephilim permitted. "You may have my armies, but no other bloods shall nor will be shed but us alone. That includes the three of them."
"For the rest, I can assure. But the 'triggers' however, I am afraid that one of them…have to leave this world."
"That's an order!"
Phinneas humbly bowed. "As you wish my lord."
"Good." The Nephilim rested on his chair. "By the way, Jacob was tested twice by the will of God to the devil's. Not thrice."
"I shall take note of that. You do aware of that I am experiencing nasty headache everytime when reading any holy scriptures, don't you?"
"How's our patient doing?"
"As you instructed, he has made good progress ever since being touched by Dr. Bradley Hagel. The doctor even commemorate his steel willpower to live."
"Will he be included in your test?"
"That would be yes. He is the manifestation of his ghost. It begins with him and probably ended by him too."
"Probably?"
"That depends on both of their decision. Either way, Dante is completely at his mercy."
"As expected from a mortal. They may be frail, yet possess strength that make unearthly beings like us on our knees."
"Am I right to say that's your reason to draw your sword against him?"
No more words came from the Nephilim. For he, was finally asleep.
That's it folks! We finally reached the tenth chapter here and I'm so excited reaching this far. Thank you very much for all of y'all's support. Thanks to Kerlongst Evert Orlejov, who has been supporting me til this far, Jackie Advocado, who also provided me some ideas and of course, YOU reader yourselves who keep me rock n roll in this fic! Am I going to end this fic? Hell no. So, stay tuned to the next mission entitled: Counter Strike: Global Offensive. Peace out!