Chapter Three

“Boss, please. I beg you, have mercy on me.” A man cries and kneels before Dante.

Everyone is just watching him, begging in front of this still figure sitting in a red luxurious leather chair.

An eerie piece of music is playing through an old gramophone.

This man kneeling before Dante does not look like a weak person, but why is he acting awkwardly?

Why is he begging mercy from him?

Dante hits from his Cuban cigar and blew out the smoke in the guy’s face.

The guy coughs but stayed kneeling in front of him,

“A simple task, I have given you.” Dante reaches out to the guy and grabs him in the neck.

Slowly raising the man in mid-air using only one hand without even losing his perfect posture.

What a beautiful appearance yet viewed in a brutal way. Savageness was well presented by a good-looking man in a grey Italian suit.

“Have mercy… my Lord… uhkk...” uttered by the man using what is left of his breath as Dante squeezes his throat. This stunning figure’s arm is starting to transform, while his claws are growing longer and are starting to pierce through the poor man’s neck. Dark hair also appears in his arm as it rips his classy suit. The poor man’s suffering finally ended as this partly transformed being severs his head from his body.

A full moon emerges in the dark night sky and appears so big as seen through the wide glass window of Dante’s mansion.

“Awoooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh….” The beast howled and all of his men started to transform also into the same form as him. Each of these hideous beings started eating the poor man’s cadaver.

Dante returns to his human form again. He takes off his clothes and three fine, gorgeously seductive ladies come near him. One of them picks up his ripped clothes. One of the ladies started kissing him while the other brought him a robe. The three ladies accompanied Dante in his room and left his beasts feasting on the dead body. One of the Ladies with blonde hair closes the master’s bedroom door for the leader of these beasts is going to feast with something else instead.

Two of the ladies started caressing their master as the door shuts behind them.

……

It was already an hour after the sun had risen. One of Dante’s servants knocks outside the master’s bedroom.

“Boss? Its time. All men are assembled outside.”

Dante gets up leaving those three ladies sleeping naked in his king-size bed. He puts on his robe and went to the balcony.

His people stop chattering with each other soon as they see Dante emerging in their sight.

“Last night, yes, last night, a tragedy was witnessed. All of you knew me well. Please don’t make me do the same cruelty again. You are my people. I don’t have any choice but to enforce our rule and give punishment to those who deserve it. For all of you know that I do not tolerate mistakes. Mistakes are for the weak. Mistakes are for those who hesitate. Mistakes are for those who do not fully trust in my leadership and disobeys.” Dante speaks calmly but all were scared, for they knew what he is capable of.

He had always applied his rules and regulations well and preserved these acts that inflicted terror on his people. It is the only way he knew how to send warnings to those who do not want him as their leader.

To think of it, these men are of the same being as he is, but the question is: why are they so afraid of Dante? They can all join together and take him down if they want to, right?

Well, no, all of these people knew him well. He was not the most powerful of them all. Not until he has made a deal with the devil himself.

Even elders of their people though possessing unimaginable strength do not have the confidence, enough to even have the guts and take their first step to revolt against him.

Dante is at the peak of his power, not to mention he is immortal.

Yes, his people are of the same being as him. Werewolves sure have long lives, but they are not immortal creatures.

Another fact that separates Dante from his people is his ability to control his transformation. With or without a full moon, he can transform himself either from being a human transforming into a werewolf, or the other way around as he pleases.

But really, though his ability to control his transformation is unique and useful, how come that Dante seems to be obsessed with seeking something else? Is this something so important for him that failure of searching for it can make him kill his own kind?

His Immortality also makes his defectors feared him but little did they know that a man of power and immortality suffer from within. Like cancer eating the good cells in the body, his loneliness and despair make him frustrated.

…..

“Arrogant fool. Your time will come to an end.” One guy utters to himself.

“Gavino, watch your words. You know we cannot fight back. Not just yet.” One of the elders whispered.

As if these people knew something about Dante, his weakness.

Dante is aware that he is not the only one that knows about his weakness, but because of his rule of power over their people, serving his wrath as punishment to anyone who disobeys or fails him, no one directly fights back.

“Cowards,” Dante speaks to himself. He can hear people talk ill behind his back but he ignores them for he knew that as long as the artifact is not found yet, there is not a single chance that his enemies could win against him.

“Brutus, come forward,” Dante calls his loyal servant in a neutral tone.

“Yes, my lord, how can I serve you?” Brutus answers and bows down in front of him.

“Send another man to continue tracking down whoever has the artifact.”

Dante cuts the tip of his Cuban cigar and Brotus immediately lights it with a Davidoff Prestige Lighter.

“I shall carry on my lord.” Brotus moves out with the rest of their men while Dante is left enjoying his personal spacewalking in the veranda.

He reaches inside his suit’s inner pocket and brings out a locket.

He opens it up and stared at the woman in the picture.

He closes his eyes and tries to reminisce his memory of her.

“Amica mea.” (My love) Dante utters softly while tears roll down his cheeks.

……….