The Catalyst

Chapter XXIV: Nightmare

Dante opened his eyes to find himself laying on the ground. The ground was covered in thick, black smoke. Dante got up and rubbed his eyes. There was nothing. Complete, visible, emptiness. He than saw something in a cloud of smoke. He moved towards it slowly, not sure of what it was. As he became right behind it he reached out and tried to touch it. The thing than turned around instantly and screamed in Dante's face. The thing was Dante. But it was a different Dante. This Dante was the Dante from the mirror. This "Dark Dante" stood over real Dante who was on the ground.

"You think i couldve just let you go that easy?" Dark Dante said. "You know what you are Dante. You are me!" Dark Dante than went into the smoke and came out with a person with a sack over their head. "You want to know who you are Dante?!? You want to know what you will do?!?" Dark Dante than took the bag off of the person's head. It was Layla. Dark Dante than pulled out his dagger and stabbed Layla in the stomach. "NO!!!" Real Dante screamed. He got up and ran towards Dark Dante. Dark Dante gestured his free hand and Dante flew back.

Dark Dante than pulled out the knife from Layla's stomach and shoved it into her heart. Layla let out a sinister scream that made Dante cover his ears. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU BASTARD?!? STOP HURTING HER!!!" Dante took out his knife and ran towards Dark Dante again. Dark Dante didnt have a free hand this time. Dante jumped onto Dark Dante and shoved the knife in his heart. Dante felt a sting on his chest as he did this. Dante looked down at his chest. It was bleeding over his heart. Dark Dante than grabbed Dante and whispered in his ear. "You see Dante..." Dark Dante whispered. "We. Are. One." Dark Dante fell back and died.

Dante stood up holding his wound tightly. He started to walk towards Layla when he fell to the ground. He crawled the rest of the way to Layla and put his hands under her and lifted her a little off the ground. "Layla?" Dante said. Dante pulled the dagger out of her chest. The dagger faded away out if his hand. Than Dante saw Layla's hand turn to smoke slowly. He grabbed her and hels her close to him. Soon her whole body was being consumed by black smoke. "No no no....." Dante said. "Please dont go...." Tears rolled down Dantes cheeks. Layla was soon completly gone. Dante looked down at his hands and than at his chest. Blood poured out of the wound and Dante fell to the ground completly.

As Dante too soon started to be consumed by the smoke, Dark Dante got up and walked over too Dante without any wounds at all. "You see Dante. Neither one of us can die without the other. You know that I will alwasy be inside you. No matter the happiness. No matter the joy." Dante starred at Dark Dante as his body was being consumed by smoke. "Fuck.........you......." Dante said as he shut his eyes.

Dante sat up instantly on the bed. He breathed heavily as he rubbed his not wounded chest. Dante looked beside him and saw Layla laying there sleeping. Layla than opened her eyes to the sound of Dante's breathing. "Baby?" She asked. "Are you alright?" Dante turned and kissed Layla on the forehead. "Yeah." Dante said. "Just a nightmare....." Layla nodded and pulled Dante down as she layed back down. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. Dante starred at the ceiling for a moment. But soon closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.