The crypt trembled, dust raining down in thin veils from the cracked ceiling above. Dante clung to Selena as if her touch alone anchored him in reality. The glow of the shattered relic still pulsed faintly from the markings on his chest, flickering like the embers of a dying star.
Cassius moved cautiously, studying Dante's every movement. His voice was low and cautious. "He's returned, yes—but not alone."
Selena glanced up. "What do you mean?"
"The beast... it's not banished. It's sealed—for now. But the balance is fragile. The relic slowed it, bound it, but didn't destroy it. Dante's soul is the new prison."
Dante's expression tightened. "I can feel him. Clawing at the edges of my mind. Whispering. Waiting."
Selena squeezed his hand, her voice steel over silk. "Then we don't give him a reason to break free again."
Cassius stepped forward. "Then we need to act fast. The world won't wait."
