Dante approached the ghostly figure slowly, his footsteps echoing faintly in the vast, icy cave. The ghost, a woman with an ethereal glow, floated motionlessly, her back turned to him. Without glancing back, she spoke in the same ancient language Dante had used to enter this place.
"How I loathe the moment you step in here, Odin," the ghost said, her voice cold and filled with venom. "The only wish I have left is to watch you fail and suffer for all of your sins."
Dante's face twisted with sorrow as he replied in the same ancient tongue, "I longed to hear your voice, but dearest, won't you look my way?"
The ghost remained silent, her form flickering faintly. Dante dropped to his knees, his voice desperate. "If you want to hear my plea, I will. Just look my way."
Finally, the ghost turned around. Her eyes, filled with hatred, bore into Dante's. "I want you to die and let go of this madness you began thousands of springs ago."
Dante shook his head, his voice trembling. "You know I can't grant that. I made an oath in my first life. All the skills I've honed, all the things I've done to achieve this goal—if I stop now, everything was for nothing. Even Baldr's death."
The ghost's face twisted in fury. "Do not mention his name, Odin! You don't deserve it. You let him die after everything I did, after I asked you. But your twisted mind and blind pursuit left him to his death."
Dante's voice was pleading. "Our son had great potential, I wanted him to grow, to learn, to become better. I trusted Loki to teach him properly."
The ghost's eyes burned with rage. "After you foresaw our son's death, I burned my life to protect him from your prophecy. I trusted you to keep an eye on him. But you didn't listen, you entrusted him to Loki and Baldr in the end died."
Dante's voice broke. "I'm sorry. I've been sorry for thousands of years. I killed Loki gruesomely, and in our son's memory, I've dealt with every teacher who harmed their students throughout my lives."
The ghost's fury only grew. "Do you think that absolves you of my hatred? Do you think spreading my magic to keep my name alive lessens it? Or that because you no longer peek into the future, I would forget? It only makes me hate you more. You continue to live, one life after another, carrying that madness of yours, seeking knowledge and exploring the unknown. It is why you abandoned our son"
Dante's voice was steady but filled with pain. "I've developed countless magics, potions, and skills over time. I've advanced the world more than anyone else."
The ghost sneered. "You create and explore without purpose or goal. How many vile magics and creatures have you created? How many lives have been wiped out by your actions?"
Dante's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I am a seeker, a watcher throughout history. This is my purpose, my oath. I can't let go. I still have so much to do"
The ghost's voice was icy. "Odin, you are the worst thing this world has ever seen."
Dante's eyes began to tear up, lowering his head as he cried, but then he clutched his head, his body shaking with pain. He lowered himself to the ground, his form twisted in agony. The ghost floated above him, watching without emotion.
After a while, the ghost spoke again, her voice cold and detached. "This is the promised life, isn't it? You've begun the assimilation of your soul. Is that why you are more emotional this time? Are you afraid, or are you being affected by it?"
Dante's eyes glowed faintly before calming. He looked up at her, his voice weak. "You're right. I have absorbed four fragments, the stone was the last, and its assimilation is nearly complete. Now, it's affecting me. The memories of the people that stone has absorbed for thousands of years are fighting in my mind."
The ghost smiled cruelly. "If you're having such a hard time dealing with the second fragment, how will you assimilate the first? Maybe you will fail in the end. How fitting of an end that would be."
Dante smiled weakly. "You really have nothing left for me but hatred, Frigg. I prepared thoroughly for the first fragment. In my second life, I created the stone to strengthen my mind. In the third, I studied how to strengthen my body with magic. In the fourth, I studied emotions to keep myself human. In the fifth, I studied souls to strengthen mine. In the sixth and seventh, I completed my preparations."
Frigg's eyes remained cold. "That's why I hate you. You thought of everything, planned for everything. But when it came to our son, you threw him to Loki. He wasn't as important as the madness you pursue."
Dante's voice was soft but filled with emotion as he replied to Frigg. "I cared for him. He was my pride, my precious child. But I couldn't pamper him. He needed to learn, to become better. That's why I entrusted him to Loki."
Frigg floated away from him, her ghostly form gliding toward the tombstone. She caressed it tenderly, her voice trembling with sorrow. "Can you comprehend the pain I feel? I burned everything I had to shield Baldr. I begged you to keep an eye on him, to protect him when I became bedridden. But then, just as the sun rose and disappeared a few times, I had to hear the news of my son's death. I died knowing you failed me, knowing you didn't care enough. No words you say will ever convince me otherwise, Odin."
Dante opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden, searing pain shot through his head. He clutched his skull, groaning as he collapsed to the ground. His body writhed in agony, his screams echoing through the icy cave. Frigg watched him coldly, her gaze shifting back to her son's tombstone, her expression filled with sorrow.
The pain intensified, tearing through Dante's very being. He felt as though he were being ripped apart from the inside. His vision blurred. He couldn't hear, couldn't feel anything except the relentless, excruciating pain. With the last bit of his consciousness, he pulled out the cloak of invisibility, holding it tight as it glowed in his hand.
Soon everything turned to black and time lost all meaning to him as he laid there, consumed by suffering. When the pain finally subsided, Dante's body went limp. Exhausted, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Throughout the ordeal, Frigg didn't look at him once, her attention fixed on the tombstone.
When Dante awoke, the assimilation was complete. But something was wrong. His vision had changed. Before, he could see the world as a normal person, with traces of magic woven into his sight. Now, he could only see the traces of magic—the world itself had become invisible to him. It was strange, even for someone as knowledgeable as Dante, and for the first time, he felt a sense of loss and confusion. His soul assimilation is complete, but his body transformation fell short for some reason.
Frigg noticed him stirring and spoke, her voice cold and detached. "It seems you've succeeded in the end. A pity."
Dante didn't respond. Instead, he stood slowly, his movements deliberate, and turned to face Frigg. They stared at each other in silence, the weight of thousands of years of history hanging between them.
Finally, Dante spoke, his voice steady but filled with resolve. "This is the last time I'll come here. I won't return again." He raised his wand, his hand trembling slightly.
Frigg gave a sad smile. "I told you long ago—you would be the perfect wizard if not for how heartless you are."
Dante's eyes filled with tears. "I want to keep you, I want to hold you, keep you close to me…. But there is no path for you left, I'm releasing you from this eternal torment."
Frigg shook her head, her voice filled with bitterness. "No, you're trying to run from the guilt you carry."
Dante closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, his expression resolute. "Expecto Electrunom," he incanted. Red lightning erupted from the tip of his wand, forming a giant, fiery bird. The bird engulfed Frigg, her form dissolving into the light. Her final words echoed through the cave: "I hate you."
When the light faded, Frigg was gone. Dante stood in silence, tears streaming down his face.
He walked over to Baldr's tombstone and knelt before it. "I truly cared for you," he whispered. "I thought I was doing the right thing back then. For that, I'm so sorry."
With one last look at the tombstone, Dante turned and walked away, leaving the frozen sanctuary behind. He would never return.