"Dantalion."
The name escaped my lips once more.
It was as if something clicked inside my mind.
The haze that had previously taken over started to fade, and images once more flashed across my mind.
An old book.
Flip, Flip—
Hurried flip of the pages.
Drip!
A red droplet.
One that stained the pages.
And, soon—
’H-help... p-please.’
’I... don’t want to do this anymore.’
’Please help me.’
A voice.
One that sounded desperate.
Rushed.
Or to be more precise, like... mine.
Drip! Drip!
Even more droplets fell, staining the pages red.
All sorts of symbols appeared, but eventually, the pages stopped at a certain page.
’Y-yes, yes...’
The voice grew frantic, excited.
And then—
Driiip!
More blood spilled on the book... A hand reaching for the blood, pushing the book to the side, and copying the symbol on the wooden table beneath.
The hand shook as it copied, even more blood spilling on the table.
But the hand didn’t stop.
It continued to copy the symbol, and soon, the voice whispered, ’You... are my last hope. I beg you to save me from this suffering. I... beg and hope for you to save me. You are the only one who can grant me freedom. You...’
The hand paused, the last part of the symbol finally drawn.
’...Who seeks and values truth."
’Great Duke of Hell, Dantalion!’
RATTLE! RATTLE!
The surroundings shook.
Flip! Flip! Flip!
The pages flipped rapidly.
Cracks started to appear within the table, the symbol pulsing with life.
Voices started to whisper in the air.
They came from all directions, reaching for the one who had caused all of this.
And as all of this was going on, the head slowly raised.
A mirror appeared.
Within the reflection, a face stared back.
One devoid of a face.
Fwap!
The book suddenly closed, displaying a blank title.
One that glowed in the dim lights of the room.
[Ars Goetia]
The flashes ended there, and my blood froze.
Images replayed in my mind. Constantly. Over and over again.
But I didn’t have time to dwell on them as a hot breath ran down my neck once more.
"Haa."
I suddenly started to shiver, my head flicking back.
But—
Greeting me were the same eyes... scattered across the walls, the floor, even the ceiling. But as I stared at them, a cold shiver crawled down my spine. They weren’t like before. The surfaces they rested on seemed to pulse faintly, and within each glossy black center, something shifted.
They weren’t looking at me.
They were...
’Looking somewhere else.’
The realization sank in slowly, like ice crawling up my spine. The eyes weren’t fixated on my body, my face, or even my movements. They were looking somewhere else. Something that was present in the room.
"Haa..."
I exhaled shakily, taking a step back, but the moment I did, I felt something press against my back, halting me on the spot.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
I froze.
My heart thumping loudly within my mind.
A cold shiver ran down my spine as I took deep and steady breaths.
And soon, I turned around.
But—
"...."
Nothing.
Every wall around me quivered at my gaze, the carved eyes twitching as a low hum filled the room. It wasn’t mechanical. It wasn’t natural either. It was like hundreds of whispers had filled the room, each one speaking over another.
The air grew heavier, and the weight on my chest increased.
’Dantalion...’
The name still echoed faintly in my mind. It refused to leave my thoughts, whispering inside my mind like a broken record.
’Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion.’
The sound of it alone made my pulse quicken.
Yet, amidst all of this, the pain in my head started to surface once more.
It was far stronger than before, and my vision started to twist and turn before my very eyes. I didn’t know what was happening, nor did I have the time to think about it.
’Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion.’
A single name whispered in my mind.
It was soft, and yet, it filled every corner of my mind.
I couldn’t think or do anything.
’Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion. Dantalion.’
It felt suffocating.
It felt—
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."
Huh...?
Blinking my eyes slowly, something changed.
The room I had been in was gone, erased as if it had never existed. In its place stood a vast chamber, dimly lit by dozens of candles flickering along the walls. Their flames bent and swayed as if breathing in rhythm with the air itself.
All around me, figures cloaked in white knelt low to the ground, their faces hidden beneath hoods.
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."
Their voices rose and fell in a discordant chant, the same words repeated again and again, each one scraping against my ears like a whisper meant for something else listening in the dark.
"....."
I stared at it all in a daze, my heart calm as I struggled to make sense of what was before me.
What happened?
How did I end up over here?
What is going on?
I was calm despite the situation.
No, calm was the wrong word.
I was...
Out of it.
I understood everything that was going on, but at the same time, my mind was sluggish.
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."
Dantalion...
That name.
Who was he...? Why were they chanting his name? Why were they kneeling before me? What was happening to me?
Slowly, my head turned to look at my surroundings.
As I did, a constant ringing sound echoed inside my mind.
It was loud, and it took over my entire mind.
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."
Besides the candles and the kneeling figures, a massive red circle stretched beneath me, its lines sharp and long, painted on the floor with fresh paint. I recognized it instantly. I’d seen it before, back then... with the Twisted Man.
Lifting my head, I let my gaze sweep over the room. The walls were lined with countless framed portraits, each one depicting a different face, men, women, children, hundreds of them, maybe more.
Their painted eyes seemed to follow the candlelight, glimmering faintly in the dark.
I even saw a picture of Mirelle.
"Seth..."
A voice suddenly spoke, and a woman dressed in pure white walked out from within the dim darkness.
Because of the dimness of the surroundings, it was hard to make out her features, but I could tell from just her voice that she was quite old.
But how did she know my name?
No...
It only made sense for her to know my name.
"It must’ve been hard on you."
I turned to face her direction, her wrinkles highlighted by the flickering lights of the candles.
"...You are the last of our works. The vessel perfected through fire and faith."
A cold hand pressed against my cheek, her smile warm as she looked at me.
"You are Dantalion."
She declared with certainty.
"One of the Seventy-Two, Duke of Knowledge, Keeper of the Veiled Mind."
The candles around the room flickered, the frames on the walls rattling.
A chilling cold spread across the entire room. One that made me feel as though I had been submerged in a dark abyss, sucking the very air out of my body.
"We have labored in your name, Great One."
The woman spoke while staring at me.
No...
Through me.
"The bodies we offered before were flawed. D-15 came close, but was unworthy. Now we bring you a vessel untainted, strong in flesh and spirit, bound by the Shard in their mind."
Rattle! Rattle!
The surroundings started to shake once more, the floor creaking as the presence within the room grew.
I stood on my feet, bound by something invisible, unable to move or react.
"We renounce all other Dukes, all other Kings. We kneel only to you, O Great Duke Dantalion, and seal our covenant in devotion and blood."
Her voice grew more hoarse, my mind filling with all sorts of whispers.
’Accept the devotion.’
’...Accept the prayers.’
’Accept the worship.’
"In return, bestow upon us your sight, your wisdom. Bring honor to our names, wealth to our kin, and dominion over what is to come, for we are yours... In mind, in soul, in eternity..."
RATTLE! RATTLE!
The room grew even more frantic, the frames rattling more and more.
And soon—
"....."
"....."
"....."
It all turned silent.
But only for a moment.
Not a moment later, the surroundings were filled with the same two words.
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."
"Hail Dantalion."