Loving and Learning

Unburden Freedom

Dante awoke and found himself within a familiar black void of nothingness. This time though, he hardly reacted, he wasn't surprised, or even bother to try to find a way out; instead he sat down expectantly, knowing he didn't need to and waited.

"Here we go again." Dante said, slightly annoyed.

"Hahahaha."

Right on cue, Dantastico eery laugh filled the endless void. His two crazed eyes appeared in front of Dante and step forward to reveal himself. Dante could only give him a bored stare.

"Oh look at you, thinking everything is all hunky dory after all that. Seriously what do you think knowing everything about the family history is gonna do for you?" Dantastico mockingly asked.

Dante didn't say a word, keeping a disinterested look.

"What, no answer? You heard those stories.

Suddenly images filled swirled within the void, all full of life's hardships and pain. One of the Darryleen running in the fire, another of a angry Charles staring down Doug who looked distraught, a stressed out Déjà Vu with cameras all over her, Cruella De Vil with a spotted coat, and many images of the world ending in various horrible ways like a zombie apocalypse or natural disasters. Dante gave each image he saw a good look and only rolled his eyes.

"As I've told you many times, the world is miserable place, nothing is out there! Don't know how you haven't gotten that drilled in your head yet?" Dantastico questioned.

"Because the world isn't only that. You keep focusing on the bad, never the good." Dante said.

A glow formed around Dante and dispersed in the void, replacing the unpleasant images with happy memories of things from the past and present, all the good things Dante could recall in his life.

"What the? How did you?" Dantastico asked, confused.

The void brighten to a light purple, images of the family and the various events and meaningful personal moments they went through circled the place. Dante giving DJ his new guitar, him comforting Déjà Vu, even seemingly unpleasant memories became humorous moments to look back on, like when the family got stuck on Constantin, their neighbor's wall because of the paint, or when Dolly and Dylan tried to vote on which of them was top dog and things went comically wrong.

"You know I was angry because I thought dad forgot about mom." Dante said.

He summoned a orb image of Darryleen hugging him as a pup and then it changed to her playing a song with the guitar to him and all his siblings.

"But really the more I think about it, the more I realize that on some level, I'm the one who forgot her. I forgot the meaning of her lessons she would teach us. I forgot she never would have wanted me or any of my family living in the past or fear, or holding anything against Delilah. She cares for me and dad had always loved mom." Dante added.

He gave a final look at the current images and released the orb, and new images appeared. Ones now involving Elvira and everything so far he had done with her, to their first real hangout at the scary cabin in the woods, to them playing at the park. He smiled at them and everything else, however Dantastico could only look in disgust and horror. Though he still smiled, there was clear anger in his eyes.

"Ridiculous. Life is unpredictable. What's to say things won't go wrong and you are sad or scared out of your wits? Or worst, something happens to you?!" Dantastico asked, his voice rising slightly.

Dante just shrugged.

"I guess with good, you have to take the bad as well. It's better than feeling nothing from not experiencing anything at all. I'm tired of living in fear and waiting for things that may never happen. My family and I have all experienced different trials, but we've overcome them." Dante said.

"Hahahahahaha, you can't keep surviving everything forever." Dantastico laughed mockingly.

Dante didn't say anything but lifted his paw up. Dantastico stopped laughing and gave a confused look.

"And I'm done with you." Dante said.

He took two fingers and snapped them together. Out of the ground, chains emerged and surrounded Dantastico. His insane smile disappeared.

"W-What? What's happening?" Dantastico asked, confused what was going on.

All the chains immediately seized him by the legs, clamping onto each one with cuffs and pulling down into the ground.

"Argh!!! What are doing?! You can't do this!!" Dantastico yelled.

He growled and desperately tried to pull free, but the chains were tight and he barely budge from his spot. As he struggles, Dante approached him with a glare, looking him dead in his shock ridden eyes. Dantastico grew exhausted and stopped to breathe.

"This is MY life and I'm the one in control here. I'm not gonna allow you anymore to keep trying to tell me how to live it. I won't deny the fact that I am scared of what will happen in the future. I can't control it, but I'm not gonna run and hide from it. I have a long way to go, and while you are here right now..." Dante said.

Dantastico looked down and saw something that made him terrified and erased his maniacal crazed face to one of horror. Looking at his legs, he could see through them slightly.

"You won't be around much longer, until then why don't you just stay there and enjoy the view of all these wonderful moments I've experienced and I'll go see what else life has to offer." Dante said, giving a mocking tone of his own.

"NO, NO, NOOOO!!!  can't do this, you need me! The world will end and you will one day see it for yourself! I'm right you know, you know I am! You can't just get rid of me!" Dantastico yelled.

"Maybe you are right, maybe the world will end one day, but honestly I don't think it truly will be the end. I think there will be a day the world renews and all the pain and sorrow will end. Regardless I'm done wasting my time worrying about something I can't control, good-bye Dantastico." Dante finished.

With that he turned around and walked away.

"You fool!! Get back here! What if it does happen and nobody knows that you were right, WE were right?! You can't throw that all away!!" Dantastico kept yelling. "AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

But Dante gave him no more attention and kept walking slowly, ignoring Dantastico's insults and screaming that eventually faded out. A door formed ahead of him, but he made no attempt to run to it though, instead taking the time to see all the memories that followed him. One image of him playing with Dorothy weeks ago came up, showing him playing tug-of-war with her. It made him laugh, and the images of his parents, Delilah included, made him feel at peace. And the last image he saw of him and Elvira kissing each other.

He felt excitement, excitement for what was to come.

When he finally reached the door, he took a deep breath and stepped inside, a white light forming around him and then fading out to reveal the bedroom. He rubbed his eyes and yawned while observing all his siblings around him. Dolly and Dylan slept on one side of him, while on his other were Dizzy, Dee Dee, and Dorothy sleeping almost on top of him. He smiled, it was all fine with him and there was no reason to rush right now and wake them up.

"Today's the day." He quietly said.