41 Chapter 40

-[Mount Justice]-

-[Dante]-

They spent a while on the roof before they finally decided to return to the cave. Dante had finally calmed down and was back to his usual playful self.

«Recognized! Dante B-0-5! Zatanna B-0-9!»

As they walked into the cave, Dante immediately noted the lack of his 'training' equipment. The canvases, paint brushes and palettes he was using before his…episode…were nowhere to be seen.

"Where's all my stuff?" He wondered.

"Maybe someone decided to clean up while we were gone." Zatanna suggested with a shrug.

Dante let out a fake gasp. "'Clean up' my artwork. Now that's just rude."

The girl beside him rolled her eyes. "This is our base of operations, not a Leonardo da Vinci art show."

Dante huffed before pausing in his step, drawing Zatanna's attention.

"Dante? What's-?" Her question was interrupted by a familiar voice, causing her to turn.

"And where have you been?!" Zatara shouted as he stepped into the mission room, frustration visible on his face.

"Dad, I can…explain?" Only then did she realize that Dante had disappeared, causing her to pout briefly.

"Explain what?! I've been worried sick about you! Where were you?!" Zatara demanded, causing the girl to shift nervously.

"Well…" She tried to think of an excuse but came short.

"Zatara, calm down." The father and daughter pair shook in place, neither noticing Batman until he stood behind Zatara.

"What do you mean 'calm down'?" Zatara asked after composing himself.

The dark knight merely turned to Zatanna. "I sent her to place something near one of the Zeta tubes in New York."

Zatara narrowed his eyes. "What is it that you had her put there?"

"A prototype gadget I've been working on. I'll give you the details later." Batman said, causing Zatara to turn back to Zatanna in worry.

Zatanna who was completely confused at this moment looked at Batman only to see him wink, a smirk on his face. Her eyes widened as she immediately realized what was going on.

The reaction went unnoticed by Zatara. "You have to be careful. You know I worry about you." The man said, letting out a breath of relief.

He turned to Batman, giving him a nod. "If you'll excuse me."

He walked into the zeta tube, setting his destination as the machine announced his departure.

As soon as he was gone, 'Batman' morphed, transforming back into Dante who held a smirk. "And scene." He said, giving a mock bow.

Zatanna could barely hold in her laugh. "You know you're dead when he finds out, right?"

"If he finds out." Dante countered. "Now, to get more paint brushes."

-[Later]-

Walking out of a restaurant with a bag of takeouts in his hand, he frowned, his glowing eyes hidden under dark shades.

Hearing his phone ring, he fished it out from his pocket. "Hey, Dinah."

"Dante, is there any reason your GPS says you're in Japan?" She asked in confusion.

"It's nothing serious. I just wanted to check a few things out. I'll bring you back a souvenir." He answered as his eyes darted around.

"Okay… Call if you're going to be late and please be careful." Dinah was still a bit shaken seeing as how it hadn't been more than a few days since he woke up.

"Will do." He assuaged, ending the call as his eyes narrowed under the shades.

He had been trying to ignore what had been in front of his eyes since his reconstruction but he couldn't do that anymore. The black and tiny soot-like creatures that floated in the air.

The people around him went about their daily lives, unaware of the tiny creatures floating in the atmosphere.

He had started seeing them from the moment he opened his eyes after the reconstruction. 'What are these things?' He wondered in slight frustration.

He had wracked his brain and he still couldn't figure out what they were supposed to be. Nobody other than him seemed to see them.

His frown deepened as he raised his voice a bit. "You can stop hiding there." He said, seemingly talking to nobody.

A few seconds later, a man in a dark coat and a hat on his head seemingly walked out of the shadow behind him.

"It is impressive for you to feel my presence, then again, it should be child's play for one such as you." The man said as Dante turned to face him.

Standing in front of him was the Phantom Stranger, the mysterious mystic.

"You've been following me for quite a while. I don't exactly appreciate it." Dante said.

From what he knew, the stranger only appeared when something important happened or was about to happen.

"Let us talk elsewhere." The Stranger said, swirling his cape.

Dante felt something try to pull him as the cape engulfed him. It was like instinct, he severed the source of that pull.

The cape swirled harmlessly over him but nothing happened. He could feel the stare of the stranger on him, something akin to interest in them.

"Please." The man said simply before swirling the cape once more.

Dante didn't resist this time, going along with the pull. By the time the cape fell, he found himself atop a high tower in Japan…the highest tower.

"I'm not exactly contemplating suicide so no thank you. I appreciate the offer though." Dante said with a frown.

"That is not why I called you here. The matter at hand is of great importance." Seeing that he had Dante's attention, he continued speaking.

"The work of one mortal immortal has started the fire that will raze this planet to the ground."

It wasn't hard to decipher his words. Mortal immortal referred to Savage while his 'work' referred to Dante himself.

"Go on." Dante urged, now floating a few inches above the ground.

"Savage's attempt to create the ultimate being will cost him much more than he realizes. The eyes of the lords are upon you Dante. As the personification of a new fundamental force, you possess the potential to scratch the surface of minor godhood, thus tipping the scales." The stranger said before gesturing to the black soot-like things he had been seeing.

"They're called spores. Your ability to see them is proof of your transcendence."

Dante turned to the man. "Then how are you able to see them?"

"I'm different. These spores are what form the creatures and nightmares that humans imagine. Some, but not all, demonic creatures and monstrosities are born from human imagination. Even some of the creatures some pantheons worship such as the nine tailed fox were formed from spores." The stranger explained.

Dante focused on his every word, careful not to miss a single detail. "How exactly does that work?"

"Spores take in human imagination and fears, carrying them back to hell where they're formed in the pit."

Dante froze for a moment. "I'm sorry, did you just say hell?"

"Indeed. Hell is a vast land, spreading wider than you can imagine. In the corners of hell, there are spawn pits where these spores come together to form monsters and demons before eventually finding their own way into our realm." The stranger explained, ignoring Dante's shocked look.

'So you're telling me that earth is becoming some Jujutsu Kaisen ripoff?' He thought, massaging his temples.

"What exactly are you saying?" Dante asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

"I'm saying that the final fight is coming, one that will decide the fate of earth and you are a key figure in that fight. Train, grow familiar with your new powers…or earth will be lost." The stranger said before vanishing into thin air.

-[Unknown Location]-

In a peaceful forest, Dr Fate silently floated above the grassy lands. The silence and peace was broken as a loud sound erupted behind him, a boom tube opening up.

Out of the boom tube, a tall muscular male with three pale scars across his face walked out. Nabu turned to face the new arrival, tense but not attacking.

"Hello, my son." Vandal Savage greeted.

========

Author Rant: Apparently, some people weren't happy with the way the last chapter went with Dante turmoil of emotions.

This is directed to you. You seem to forget that he was merely fifteen when he died. Do you think you can put a fifteen year old kid in that kind of situation and expect him to act like nothing happened?

I'm not arguing further than that. I'm not even arguing, I'm just ranting…