Dante's P.O.V.
I surveyed my surroundings, I was in a desert. Nothing but sand dunes and well....sand surrounded me. I looked down at my hands and cracked my knuckles, "Everything seems alright." I said. It was then I saw what appeared to be a human being walking slowly towards me, it was staggering towards me, as it came closer, I realized what it was, the staggering woman walking towards me was......MY MOTHER.
"Dan...te" she cried. I realized she was sobbing. "I wish I could've been there for you, not just as a mother, but as a friend." "Oh, really now." I said flatly, giving her a cold stare. "See, how I remember it, you were so busy a MAID had to raise me." I was getting angrier by the second. "I'm sorry." She said then she hiccuped, "all I wanted was to raise you properly." her face was a mask of tears. "Pathetic." I snarled. "DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!" she screamed. Suddenly she ran towards me, crying. "I'm SO sorry about all of this." she screamed. Then she did the thing I really didn't expect, she hugged me. "Please Dante, hear me out before I go." "Go?" I repeated. My mother took off her shoe and showed me her foot. "What....is this?" my face was molded into an expression of horror. The skin on her foot, it was disappearing. "I won't be here with you long." My mother continued still sobbing. "Once the virus spreads up to my ankle it will double its pace until it reaches my skull and dissolve everything." My eyes widened. "That's horrible." "Very." my mother agreed. "Suddenly she fell back onto the sand. "MY FEET!" She screamed. "I was horror stricken. Then I heard a voice in my head, 'calm yourself and act wisely.' It was soft and ghostly. Somehow I managed to calm myself. "Speak, mother." I said, at this time the virus was at her stomach. "I'm sorry, I did it to protect you, Dante, I kept you in that city and let Bridget raise you so you wouldn't have too be moving all the time, and so you would not see how the partners in my firm abused me." I was horror stricken. "Abuse?" I repeated. "Yes Dante," my mother replied, the virus now speeding towards her throat. "I have one more thing to tell you before this virus dissolves my throat," she coughed and then continued. "Watch....out for....Lucas." I watched as the virus disintegrated the flesh on her skull, leaving her a skeleton, and a ghost of her former self. At this point I was sad, but I also felt the calm that comes when the truth has been exposed. "Was this all real?" I asked myself as I walked across the desert. Suddenly a green portal appeared about 20yards in front of me, "Good job, child. You've improved." I readied my fists, "Who're you?" I demanded. "None of your concern, child." Faster than lightning, a long, green musty looking hand shot out of the portal and grabbed me, then pulled me into the portal. I woke up, and removed the Virtual Reality Sensor off of my head. I looked up at a smiling, pretty, woman with long jet black hair. "Congratulations, Dante, you've passed the second phase of the exam. Your heart beat BARELY stayed under the limit though." I smirked. "Nice."
Ember's P.O.V.
"I hate you!" she screamed before slapping a ruler right across my face. I gingerly touched my face and realized I was both crying and bleeding. "Sister, why are you doing this to me?" "It's all your fault, mom died giving birth to you and dad died from the depression of losing his lover because of you." She continued to beat me with the ruler. And if you're wondering, yes, my sister had tons of fighting experience, being in the Elite Division Task Force of the military. She was also bigger than me, and stronger. She threw the ruler on the floor and started kicking me, "I'll make you feel the pain," she screamed. Kick after kick was launched into me, but I actually started smiling, "You may be making me bleed, you may be making me cry, but you never could truly hurt me, sister." I disappeared. It was then I remembered something, my sister was an alcoholic. I saw about 10 beer cans behind her. "You may be drunk, sister, but I am not going to spare you." I notched my arrow and aimed it straight towards her head. I missed! How did I miss her! I shot a volley of three and watched carefully as the arrows veered slightly off course. and embedded itself into the wall behind her. 'Ember, you're afraid of her, your arrows will never hit until your fear disappears." a soft and ghostly voice whispered into my head. "Thanks." I said. Suddenly I felt a sharp kick in my stomach. Blood spilled out of my mouth and onto the floor. "You worthless trash." my sister snarled. "You don't deserve anything, not our family name, not your good looks NOTHING!" At that statement my anger surfaced and I became dangerously calm. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" The arrow sailed, nailing her right in between her eyes, and my sister fell backwards onto the floor, dead. Suddenly a portal appeared next to me and a voice whispered. "Well done, child." Then a green, long, musty looking hand shot out of the portal and grabbed me, and dragged me into the portal. I took off the Virtual Reality Sensor and looked up. A dark haired woman and Dante were standing over me, "Well done,Ember." the dark haired woman said. "You've passed the second exam with flying colors."
