8 Drown Me More, Daddy
(You mean like crime documentaries and stuff? Personal observations?)
[...Yeah, you could say that.]
(I see. That's cool, at least you've done research on your characterization and not just copy-paste stereotypical jerks. Maybe that's the reason why I could still stomach your stories, they show some realism at least.)
Their one-on-one, getting-to-know session was interrupted when the two reached the end of the Circle of Greed and had now reached the 5th Circle.
"Another river?" Daniele walked carefully on the rocky shore at looked into the water of the murky river. It was like a swamp filled with moss and you can barely see anything in it, much less your own reflection.
Moments later, a fist emerged from the water that almost hit Daniele in the jaw if Zhe Chouhen had not pulled him backwards!
"Bitch! You insulted my sister! I have a good reason to strangle you to death!"
The fist belonged to a woman who rose with a crazed, angered expression. She was talking to someone below the dirty waters, and she punched at them again and again.
Another woman emerged from the waters and smacked her across the face. "Whore! Your sister is a whore who seduced my husband and so are you!"
More people came upwards on the slimy river and fought back and forth, biting, kicking, and overall just being violent to one another.
A boat soon came from the marsh, the ferryman a bulky brute whose skin is always red like had an allergy or some irritation. Whenever someone tries to grab his boat, he would smack them and spit on the poor sinner.
'Leandro' pointed at that boatman with a wry smile. "That is Phlegyas, our ferryman in the River of Styx. This is the Circle of Wrath. Those filled with aggressive hatred fights at the surface, while the passive ones sink at the bottom. Let me talk to him, I do not want to add more to my sins if he ever insulted you or harmed you."
He shouted from the shore, both hands over his mouth. "Phlegyas, let us in your boat!"
"What wretched worm dares to ask for a ride through!?" Phlegyas yelled brandishing his oar like a weapon.
"I do!" 'Leandro' raised his hand.
Phlegyas eyes gleamed at him like a ferocious wolf's. "YOU! I can sense a strong passive wrath in you, you deserve to be dragged down into the depths of Styx, sullen forever—"
'Leandro' used his powers again to make Phlegyas take back what he said.
He stopped grumpily hitting people as he became wrapped in Leandro's evil tendrils. "Hmph! So I was wrong. You both are not wrathful, you may pass through."
All the veins in his head were exposed though as he gave a death glare to 'Leandro'.
Zhe Chouhen felt sorry for the guy. (I'm just doing my job by destructing yours, sir. Don't take offense.)
"After you, my dear." He offered Daniele to go first in a very Leandro fashion of holding his hand to lead the way.
"Isn't this boat too dangerous? What if one of the sinners grab on to us and drag us to the River Styx?" Daniele asked worriedly.
"Phlegyas would take care of them for us." 'Leandro' smiled at him shadily. "Right, Phlegyas? You can assure to grant us safe passage to the 6th Circle, won't you?"
Phlegyas' face became an even brighter shade of red, and you can almost see smoke coming out of his nostrils. He turned around with a huff and started to row.
[Scum Meter raised to 35%]
[Satisfaction Meter raised to 55%]
[I gotta say, you can act pretty well as a scum. You just complain a lot, but you still manage to do the job. Are you sure you did not finish anything related to acting? You're not secretly a film emperor, are you?]
(I wish. I just copy how I've always imagined Leandro in my head, and I'm good at memorizing dialogues. But yeah when I act out this character.....It feels natural to me.) Zhe Chouhen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. (You're not helping me out or anything, are you?)
[No. Maybe this means you can internalize the character more than you think. Maybe your hidden self is similar to them—]
(Similar to these characters? Hah! No way, I'm just a natural-born good actor.)
[You mean a natural-born egotist.] Panda snorted.
The boat rattled and Daniele immediately grabbed on to 'Leandro', fearing that it will capsize. The angry shouts of the wrathful made his ears hurt and he wanted to cover them, but he also needed to hold on to his stepbrother.
All the anger and aggression made him feel restless and anxious, and so he was merely closing his eyes and praying for these souls to find peace.
Zhe Chouhen felt this was very endearing and covered Daniele's ears with his own hands. "Don't worry, we will get away from this river soon. Just focus on the sound of my voice."
He put an enchantment on his hands that will lessen the background noises of the rampaging souls, and another on his vocal cords so that his voice will sound more alluring and hypnotic.
This was also a scene from the novel, except the intention there was more of seduction rather than comfort. 'Leandro' started to hum a light tune.
"The Guide and I into that hidden road Now entered, to return to the bright world;
And without care of having any rest
We mounted up, he first and I the second,
Till I beheld through a round aperture Some of the beauteous things that Heaven doth bear;
Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars."
"Brother, what are you singing?" Daniele asked.
'Leandro' smiled secretively. "A song about two companions who escaped hell and saw the stars again. Now just listen, and imagine for yourself that it was you who were seeing the stars with me."
Zhe Chouhen asked the panda in his head. (This is just the last stanza of Canto XXXIV from the original Inferno, isn't it?)
[I liked that stanza a lot so I figured I should add it. Besides, the book of the Inferno doesn't exist in Daniele and Leandro's universe, so he wouldn't recognize it.]
Like Leandro did, Zhe Chouhen sang the lines again and again until Daniele's knitted brows no longer furrowed and his muscles were no longer tensed.
Their bodies were being rattled violently by the raging river, but because of his song, Daniele felt like he was just a child being rocked to sleep in a crib or a swing. His delicate blue eyes started to feel heavy and he slowly closed them, falling asleep.
(This kid always falls asleep on boat rides, huh? His sleeping face is really cute.) Zhe Chouhen chuckled lightly to himself.
[Pedo alert.]
(Hey, what pedo!? This kid is 18, right!? We're just 4 years apart, and we're both of legal age!)
[So you're falling for the kid now, aren't you?]
(Nope, I just find him cute, but he's not my type. Also, I don't want to die.)
[You still get to live in another novel once you die from falling in love. I'm not that cruel.]
(Yeah, but I still don't like the sound of that 'painful death' you promised. Why are you worried about me falling for your characters so much? Are you jealous?)
[Pfft, jealous? Why should I be jealous, I look way better than Daniele in real life....]
(Panda-laoshi, you're reeking of vinegar*, don't even deny it.) Zhe Chouhen grinned.
[What vinegar!?]
(I didn't even mean that you were jealous of Daniele. I meant that you must be jealous of other people's relationships, but it looks like you're jealous because you actually like me—)
[Look out!]
(Huh???)
Zhe Chouhen was so busy teasing the system in his headspace that he did not realize a wrathful sinner grabbed on to him and dragged him to the River Styx!
His reflexes made him let go of Daniele so the sleeping MC wouldn't be dragged along, and only he was sinking into the murky green waters.
"Blerghsaghdergabderg!" He cursed as bubbles came out of his mouth while he was falling deeper and deeper into the riverbed. He doesn't know how to swim, and the weight of his sin made him sink into the bottom of Styx faster.
(Why did I get the punishment of passive hatred!!? I do write hate comments but I don't really hate the person that much, just their content!)
Daoist Panda appeared next to him, also sinking and drowning in the River Styx.
[Beats me. Are you sure you didn't secretly hate anyone before? Like back in your school or something?]
Zhe Chouhen shook his head. (Not really. What about you?)
[... There's someone I hated for a very long time but didn't get the chance to vent it out. I just kept that rage inside me for as long as I can remember, and that person never knew.] Panda's face looked more forlorn and sullen instead of angry.
(Ah..... Is that so? Who was it—)
Before he could finish responding telepathically, he saw Daniele dived into the river and swam towards him!
"Brother!"
(Daniele!? What is he doing, diving into the crazy fight club river!? Can he even swim???)
[Relax, he can swim. He's a good swimmer too. But it would be difficult to save you since his body is lighter than yours, you have to lessen your weight with magic.] Panda grabbed onto his leg.
(What are you doing!?)
[I also need to get out of here, stupid! Don't worry, I'll turn invisible when he comes!]
(Can't you just poof out of existence to survive these punishments!?)
[The winds of the circle of Lust still affected me, remember? I don't know why it's like that either. I'm a system but I still get affected by my own world.]
Bubbles came out of Daniele's mouth like he was trying to speak, and he reached out for 'Leandro's' hand.
Zhe Chouhen grabbed on to the kid and used an enchantment to lessen his own weight and make Daniele stronger. Daoist Panda went into invisible mode as they got out of the icky water.
Daniele got kicked on the hip by one of the aggressive sinners, but he ignored it and kept swimming. They soon broke out into the surface and both grabbed onto the Phlegyas' boat, catching their breath and coughing out the water they swallowed.
Phlegyas berated them."What are you two thinking, diving into the Styx!? You think it's just some lovely river to go for a swim in? The next time you jump out of the boat, I'm going to leave you be and you can sleep with the fishes!"
"But... Cough, cough! There are no fishes in the Styx, sir." Daniele said. "I didn't see one when I swam there."
"Idiot!"
"Hey," 'Leandro' patted Daniele's back to help him cough out all the water and gave a lethal glare to the ferryman.
"Who are you calling an idiot? Just do your job and row us to the next circle or I might do it myself. It would be way easier too if there's only two people on the boat, right?"
Phlegyas' whole body turned red and he shut his mouth as 'Leandro' sneered.
When he turned to Daniele, he changed into a gentler expression. "Thank you so much for saving me, my dear. I am forever indebted to you."
Daniele shook his head."It was nothing compared to what you have done for me so far, brother. If we haven't been already dead, you could have gotten yourself killed three times already, and one of that would be because of me!"
'Leandro' kissed his hand. "If it's for you, I'm willing to die as many times as there were stars in the sky."
[Love Meter raised to 57%. Pfft, It's not even that sweet. (—_—) ]
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