Sometimes the world becomes complicated because people are complicated. In the general context of things, this ritual was nothing, just child's play, until Dante realized there was a demonic rune, which he really didn't expect. After all, only demons of King or higher rank can use demonic runes, and especially a rune like Apocalypse.
"Come on, what do you think this is?" Dante questioned to nothingness, but there was another person there with him, or rather... There was another part of him seeing all that scene. "There are many things wrong in this scenario," Dante heard his own distorted voice. "Normally I would find this common if it were in Nightsphere, but here? In the human realm?
No, here's another story." He heard, then, "This person wanted to scare someone. The rune that means Apocalypse can only be used by a demon in all of Hell..." He heard, he partially understood what he meant. "One of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, huh..." Dante murmured and felt his other self agreeing. "Probably Death," he commented.
"Isn't Death on Lucifer's side?" He questioned into the wind; neither of them really knew what the Horsemen were up to by allying with Lucifer, yet they needed some understanding of what was happening. "Remember to contact Lilith and warn her about this intrusion in the Human World. It may be a copy of the rune, but for someone to use this... it's very serious." Dante nodded.
"This could be the work of the Demon Cult; they had a weapon that could corrupt me before, and if they managed to get a copy of a demonic rune, they're playing a very dangerous game."
"Who else could be involved in this?" he muttered to himself, although he knew his other self was listening.
"There are many possibilities," answered the distorted voice, echoing in Dante's mind. "But the Four Horsemen are a bigger concern. If Death is involved, we may be dealing with something much more sinister than just an intimidation ritual."
Dante nodded, focusing on the rune. The energy emanating from it was powerful and strange. He could feel malevolence pulsing through the lines and intricate symbols. "Death... he's always been the most unpredictable of the Horsemen. If he's moving, it means something big is about to happen," he heard from his alter ego.
"We need to be quick," insisted his other voice. "Contact Lilith immediately. If Death is operating in the human realm, we need all possible information to contain this threat."
Dante agreed and pulled out a communication crystal from his pocket. He channeled his energy into the crystal, activating the connection with Lilith. Her image appeared, ethereal and majestic, floating before him, the woman with black horns and white hair in a sort of magical hologram.
"Oh, I didn't expect a call this early," Lilith said, her voice soft but firm. "What do I owe this call to? We know you don't like me that much to call me at this hour."
"A demonic rune of Apocalypse," he replied, holding the crystal so she could see. "This is not common, at least it shouldn't be in the human world. Do you know what this is? It could be the work of Death, one of the Four Horsemen; it has a sinister aura emanating from it." Lilith frowned, clearly concerned. "Death in the human realm? That's impossible; he's sealed in hell.
He never acted without a clear and devastating purpose, and he wouldn't use the human world for this, after all, humans are weak." Dante nodded. "I also suspect the Demon Cult may be involved. They already corrupted me before, and if they got a copy of the rune, they're playing a very dangerous game."
Lilith considered his words for a moment before responding. "I'll mobilize our spies and resources to investigate this situation here in hell. Stay vigilant; this is too big of a problem to stay in the dark."
The connection cut off, and Dante stored the crystal, feeling a weight increase on his shoulders. "For now, let's go back, and I need to talk to the World Tree," he said, turning to his other half. "If you sense anything, let me know," he said, and his other side agreed, "You need to train again so I can help you," he said, "I'll do that, especially with the Kryoris tournament about to start...
I want to cause some commotions," Dante said with a smile and turned to leave the cave.
When he came out, he saw a somewhat sad scene: in front of him, Linnea was kneeling as she had made a small grave for the creature. She had already buried it and was praying, or something that resembled a prayer.
"I hope you are reborn in the cycle of reincarnation and return to this world as majestic as you should be. I'm sorry," she said with regret as the body was gently buried... A really bad atmosphere, by the way, something that made Dante feel regretful. "I'm sorry, it seems like this has to do with the demon cult." Dante approached, commenting again, Linnea turned again, as the World Tree.
"It's okay; the beasts have returned to normal. Unfortunately, we lost this little guy... but it could have been much worse without you here. Thank you for your help, Demon King," she said, arranging her clothes and standing up.
Dante looked around; the landscape was almost completely healed. "You are very efficient," he murmured. "I have to take care of this entire planet; efficiency is the minimum requirement." She replied, "I understand; I think everything is okay now, right?" Dante said as he looked at the mountainous landscape with forests in the distance.
"Everything will be fine; I'll try to restructure the animal life here and keep their natural habitats preserved until life returns to normal," she said. She really cared about the place; Dante found this dedication admirable, but also, it seemed more like an obligation. "I think I'll be going now; I have a lot to do." Dante said.
He didn't even care about the reward she said she would give; he was more focused on other things... Like a demonic rune belonging to a Horseman of the Apocalypse being in the Human World.
"Wait!" This time Linnea's original voice called out to him; he turned to see the woman bowing. "Thank you very much for your help, Dante," she said, continuing, "Without you, I probably wouldn't have been able to stop this incident!" She said, seeming a little embarrassed. "It's alright; you can call me whenever you need.
I'm taking the Western Empire as my Base of Operations," Dante said with a smile. "I have to please a Queen for that, but I hope you understand. Evolving is hard; I know you're still getting used to your new powers as the Avatar of the World Tree, but know that you have a friend you can count on. Well, I hope you consider me one, and not just a stupid student," Dante smiled as he gave a light wave.
"Hey! Don't just stop talking to me out of nowhere! She asked me to give this to you!" Linnea quickly said and threw a golden apple to him. "Hm? What's this?" Dante questioned as he caught the apple. "This can be called a Blessing; just eat this, and you will gain the blessing of the World Tree," Linnea explained, and Dante pondered for a few seconds.
"Hey, World Tree, you know I'm a Demon, right?" Dante questioned, but the World Tree did not assume Linnea. "She asked you to eat it," Linnea said, and Dante had no other choice. "Well, I've already died twice; a third time shouldn't be a problem if something goes wrong," he thought...
Dante then took the apple and took a bite of the golden fruit. Instantly, a feeling of warmth spread throughout his body, a comforting energy that seemed to flow through his bones. His senses sharpened; his mind cleared, and he felt a deep connection with the nature around him.
"Wow..." Dante murmured, surprised by the intensity of the sensation. He looked at Linnea. "This is amazing," he said, but soon his face changed. Beside Linnea, a woman appeared, her eyes gradient green with gold, she wore a loose green and gold dress with a crown of red flowers. He looked at that celestial beauty, and he didn't even know what to say; he just remained speechless.
"I hope you don't react like this every time you see me; I'm too old for you, child," the woman said, her voice a bit different, but Dante perfectly understood who she was. "The World Tree of Umbral," Dante said; well, he had many people to meet in this world, and a world tree was certainly part of the equation of his life.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but this planet is not called Umbral, child," she said, and began to walk a little closer to Dante.
"I think I'd better introduce myself properly; I'm Fey, the World Tree of Elysium," she said. Dante could only smile, "Even though I already know you, I am Dante Scarlet, the Demon King of Devastation...
Although I find a name too extravagant for a simple man like me," Dante said, "Great titles are for beings who have greatness in their history, Dante," she said, "But let's put that aside; I just wanted to talk to you directly, not through an Avatar," she said.
"Thank you for your help; unfortunately, we world trees cannot interfere if it's not problems on a planetary scale. Your help preserved one of the most important places for me, so I deeply thank you," she said, closing her eyes in greeting.
"It's alright, now such a big reward for just saving a small forest makes sense," he commented, "This is where I was born," she replied; now it really made sense such concern for a remote forest. "I understand; I'm glad to have helped," Dante said.
"Before you go, I have a request," she said, "Of course, but everything has a price, Fey," Dante said; he wasn't close enough to a world tree to work for free; he adopted the way of living of a demon: want help? Sacrifice something and make a deal with this demon.
"I already figured you would want something, but listen to my request first," she said, and Dante nodded.
"I want you to help me protect this world," the World Tree said; Dante looked into her eyes before noticing that Linnea was also incarnating him; he quickly understood the situation. "So it's not just me who knows about the time we have," Dante said. "Yes, I've been informed," Fey said, "I understand," Dante replied, and continued, "And what would you give me to help protect this world?"
"What do you want? I'm sure I can give you anything," she asked, quite seriously, and Dante just smiled mischievously; after all, he could ask for anything, right?
"I understand, anything, huh?" Dante said thoughtfully, well, he was thinking of something he never thought they would mention, after all... Well, he was romantic, but at the same time, he was greedy, and if he could snag something... he would bite without letting it escape.
"I want both of you to be mine," Dante said, with a mischievous smile.