Ch. 12 – Home Again



Dante woke with a start, disjointed memories of the conflict with the Void running through his head. Trying to sit up, pain lanced through his hand and made him fall back to the ground.

"Ah, so you're awake," said a familiar voice.

Looking up, Dante was momentarily surprised to see the blue sky above. It eventually dawned on him that he was outside, lying on a blanket on one of the black-sanded beaches of Keahi Island.

And standing over him, looking no worse for wear, stood Prospero.

"You," Dante said, a quiet laugh in his voice.

One of Prospero's brows rose as an amused smile crossed his face. "We've been through this before. Are you experiencing déjà vu by any chance?"

Dante tried to sit up once more and flinched as the pain returned.

"Careful there," Prospero said. "You've been through a lot within a short time."

With an excited yip, Kibou – returned to his standard form once more – rushed to Dante's side.

The boy only then noticed the group a short distance away from them – it wasn't a party per se; it had the air of an important meeting. Fire King Imperius stood before a group of the islanders, bowed head in shame.

It didn't take Dante much to guess. He was apologizing for his actions, explaining everything that had occurred. And if the expressions on everyone's faces were any indication, they found it within themselves to forgive him.

Kibou nudged his snout into Dante's face in an attempt to lick him, and the boy had to hold him back with his hand.

He only then saw that his hand was tightly wrapped in a bandage. Underneath, he could feel something cool being pressed into his palm. "What?"

"Yes, I was just as surprised as you," Prospero explained, holding something up to the boy.

It was the transmogrification orb, its obsidian surface shimmering in the light of the midday sun.

Things began to fall into place in Dante's head. "I… remember my hand hurting after first using it."

"And this time, the damage was significantly greater," Prospero said. "Out of everything I had thought of while creating the orb, I hadn't foreseen a rebound quite like this."

"Huh? I thought it was just the orb becoming hot…"

"Not quite. The orb works by utilizing its wielder as a conduit for energy. I'm not sure you'd understand the full process – in short, the burns you've experienced resulted from a particularly powerful backlash of energy – not unlike a friction burn, if you will."

"Oh." Dante understood perfectly what it meant. "So… if I need to use it, what do I do?"

"You will need to wait," Prospero replied, placing the orb into a robe pocket. "I will try to find a means of working around this problem, but it may take some time before I figure it out."

"Okay."

"Dante!"

They turned to see Skye running over to them. Behind the griffin, Doncath, and the fairy girl – Gilda – were following at a walk.

"You're alright?" Skye asked, coming to a stop before them.

"I am… for the most part," Dante said, holding his bandaged hand. He then noticed Skye was still holding Prospero's staff. "Aren't you going to give that back?"

Skye looked sheepish while Prospero laughed.

"There's no need," the old man said, "I can easily acquire a new one. Besides, it would seem our young friend here has gotten more use out of it in the last few days than I did in the past ten years."

Dante could only guess Skye was blushing underneath his feathers.

Doncath and Gilda reached them at that moment.

"Well, kid, I'll admit that I had my doubts near the end," the bear admitted. "But, against all odds, we actually did it. We saved the Cross Channel Archipelago!"

"Thank you," Gilda said, her smile making the sunlight shine a little brighter, "you have helped us achieve a victory that seemed impossible."

Dante could feel himself start to blush in the presence of that radiant smile. "N – no problem."

He suddenly remembered the last time he had seen Doncath and the others in the dungeons before being blasted into the wall. "What happened after we left?"

"When the guard launched you into the vent," Doncath said, "we'd already managed to free several of the prisoners and were able to overpower him. The noise alerted more guards, but we held up in the dungeons and kept them at bay."

"We kept fighting back," he continued, "the battle didn't seem to be going in anyone's favor. Then King Imperious showed up, and I thought we were done for. You can imagine my surprise when he ordered his guards to stop fighting, that it was all over."

"After that," Prospero said, "we all came out here. Imperious explained everything, how the Void had kidnapped his son the year before and was forcing him to attack his own people."

So it was a victory. Maybe not the one everyone had foreseen, but at least all innocent parties weren't hurt.

"But… the battle isn't over yet," Dante said. "Not this one, not for the islands, but for the world."

"You're right," Prospero admitted. "Our victory today is smaller than what needs to be done."

He smiled at Dante. "Still, that doesn't mean we must go at it alone. There will be others willing to join our cause and fight to save the world from the Void."

At that moment, more creatures appeared on the beach – some flying from the sky while others swam up from the ocean, most carrying passengers.

Together, they joined the group around Imperious and rose up in a cheer after listening to the events.

One of their numbers broke from the group and approached Dante and the others. The boy recognized the humanoid bird as Matuu, one of the creatures who had led the attack on the escaped refugees days before.

"Calm yourself," Prospero said after seeing Dante's expression, "I don't believe you have anything to fear now."

When he reached them, Matuu focused his attention on the boy.

"I hear that you were the one who started the uprising that saved the islands," he said, giving a deep bow. "I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done."

"It… really wasn't that big a deal," Dante said, feeling sheepish, "all I did was suggest a strategy that happened to work."

Matuu raised his head to look at him. "But did you not personally face off against Imperious himself before helping rescue his son from the clutches of the Void?"

Dante couldn't deny that, even though he didn't act alone in it.

Prospero looked around at the gathered crowd. "I see you are here, Matuu. But what of your fellow general, Gunter?"

The birdman looked down in shame. "I regret to say that he escaped. Almost as soon as we heard that the fighting was over."

"What?" Dante asked. While he wasn't entirely sure he could trust the ogre, part of him had hoped he would be happy about the island's freedom.

"Indeed," Matuu nodded, "it's worse than I feared. Gunter has been in contact with the Void and decided to align himself with it."

That caught them off guard.

"The traitor!" Doncath growled.

"But why would he do that?" Skye asked. "What could he possibly hope to gain?"

"If I had to guess," Prospero suggested, "the Void has most likely promised Gunter more power than he has now and possibly to be sent into a world where he can be ruler or conqueror. The Void doesn't always work by coercion. It does whatever it deems necessary to get what it wants."

"And if there's one," Dante reasoned, "then there'll probably be others."

"But that's for another time," Prospero said, turning to the young human. "For now, I think we should send you back home."

"Huh?" Dante blinked in surprise.

"Isn't there something you're forgetting? The same length of time in this world has passed by in yours."

It took Dante fifteen seconds to realize what Prospero was getting at.

"My parents!" They said they'd be back in four days. How many days had it been? And what about his friends? They must have been worried sick about him.

"Indeed." Prospero rolled his sleeves back. "We can't have you disappearing and causing a panic now, can we?"

His hands began to glow as he waved them above his head, shimmering sparks flying from his fingers.

"Fear not, this isn't the end of your involvement. I'm already working out a means for you to return. You'll figure it out after you get back home."

Before Dante had time to react, Prospero waved his hands a final time, and a blinding flash of light overtook the boy. He was pulled backward through a swirling vortex, like the one he had fallen through when he first arrived on Nibiru.

In the blink of an eye, Dante was flung through the air before landing on something soft – his bed. He was back home.

Slowly getting up, he looked around. Everything was as he had left it, all the dirty clothes and his half-made covers – even his phone, which he had thankfully remembered to plug in.

Going over to it, he picked it up to check the time. It was only noon, meaning his parents could be back anytime.

Dante then noticed the long string of messages from Mateo and Taya. All of them asking where he was, becoming increasingly more frantic the further they went.

With a nervous gulp, he called up Mateo's phone.

The first ring had barely gotten out before it was answered, and – much to Dante's lack of surprise – Taya's voice blasted out at him.

"Dante! Is that you?! Where the heck have you been all this time?!"

"Taya," Dante said as his ears stopped ringing, "I –"

Mateo cut him off. "Dude! When you didn't show up or message us, we stopped by your place, but it was locked, and nobody was there!"

"We asked your neighbors," Taya added, "none of them saw you after you returned home that day! We were just about to go to the police just now!"

"Guys!" Dante didn't' like shouting at his friends, but their rapid-fire shots weren't giving him enough room to think. “I… listen… I didn't mean to ghost you like that. Something… unexpected came up, and I couldn't call or message."

Given the short time he'd been given, Dante hadn't even had time to consider what he would tell his friends.

A verbal assault of angry Chinese words exploded out of the phone from Taya.

"Dante! There are very few words in the English language to express my feelings of moral outrage," she clarified.

"And I don't blame you. Listen. I'll explain everything to you both. I'll meet you at the Grill and tell you what happened in thirty minutes. I promise."

A short, angry silence blossomed from the phone before Taya spoke up again. "Fine! But if you're not there, I won't rest until I've hunted you down!"

Dante knew Taya would keep her word, so he'd better be there this time.

But first…

He looked down at himself. Not only was he still dressed in the tunic, shorts, and boots he'd gotten in Nibiru, but he was also covered in dirt, sweat, and who knew what else.

Tenzin was no longer wrapped around his arm, but Dante guessed the immortal artifact would return in place once he went back.

Before anything else, he needed a shower.

+++++

Freshly showered and in a more standard set of clothes, Dante quickly left the house.

His parents were pulling into the driveway as he left through the door.

"Hey, Dante!" his mother called, leaning out the passenger window to wave at him, "we're back!"

"I noticed," Dante replied as the car parked. "Listen, I was just about to meet up with my friends, and it's… kinda important."

His dad laughed as he got out of the driver's side. "Kids these days! Always on one adventure or another! Go ahead. We'll see you when you get back."

With both his parents waving, Dante started running for the boardwalk.

It was just as hot as it had been on Mateo's birthday, yet the heat didn't feel as bad as he ran along, dodging around people on the sidewalks.

He was just nearing the boardwalk when his phone buzzed.

Fearing he'd kept his friends waiting too long, Dante was surprised to find the notification coming from an app he didn't recognize.

And yet, with the stylized NH, what else could it be?

He tapped on it and immediately found himself face-timing with the familiar form of Prospero on screen.

"Ah! I'm glad this worked," the wizard said, his eyes sparkling happily.

"Prospero?" Dante asked incredulously. “What…? How…? Was this what you were talking about when you mentioned a way for me to return?"

"Indeed, my young friend! Now, look here."

Prospero's image was minimized as a new screen was displayed – a purple background with the Nibiru Horizons logo at the top and two options beneath it: START and SHARE.

"I've changed the original website for the game into an app for your phone. Much more convenient than always having to rush home to your computer whenever you want to cross over, correct?"

Dante had to admit a similar idea had formed in the back of his mind when he had pondered how it would work out in the end. But, with it being an app he could access anytime, things were much more straightforward.

"Of course, the two options make things much easier on you," Prospero continued. "START will send you back here when you press it in your world and vice versa."

"Yeah, makes sense," Dante agreed. "And what about SHARE?"

"That, my friend, does exactly what it implies. You can share the app with anyone you choose."

"What?"

"This is a war, Dante." Prospero fixed him with a solemn look. "The more advantages you have, the better your odds."

"That… makes sense. Who do I share it with?"

"Again, that's entirely up to you. Just make sure they're someone who can absolutely trust."

"You mean in a fight?"

"That… and to keep this a secret. You don't want to spread the word that you are traveling into another world. That's a quick way to get people to believe you're crazy."

"Okay… right, only people I can trust."

"Indeed. Now, I must bid you farewell, for now, Dante. Until we speak again."

The call ended, and Dante stared at his phone's home screen again.

Sticking the phone into his pocket, he hurried to The Big Island Grill.

Mateo and Taya had been sitting at the same table from a few days ago. They looked up as he approached and quickly rushed up to meet him.

Running at a full sprint, Taya leaped onto Dante and wrapped her arms around him in a tight bear hug.

"You dummy!" She said, her voice just on the verge of sounding tearful. "Don't you ever disappear on us again! Understood?"

"Yeah," Mateo added. "A joke's a joke and all that, but there are limits."

He stopped mid-step, eyes narrowing as he looked Dante up and down.

"Where… have you been?" he asked. "I know it's hot right now, but that's a serious tan you've gone."

Dante hadn't even realized he was a few shades tanner than before, giving him an almost tropical complexion – which made perfect sense when he thought about it.

Taya pushed back and scrutinized him as well. "Yeah… and I smell something flowery and… sulfuric?"

Despite his best efforts, he hadn't been able to scrub the jungle and volcano smells off successfully.

"Look," Dante said, taking a step back, "it's a long story, and –"

He stopped, looking off to one side.

When the others followed his gaze, they saw Jessika sitting a short distance away on a bench, reading a book. The shade of a palm protected her from the sun's intense rays.

"I'll… be right back."

Before they could stop him, Dante jogged over to the bench.

With the distance between them and the bench, Mateo and Taya couldn't hear the exchange.

They saw Dante walk up and stop beside the bench, and Jessika looked up from her book.

After a shaky-looking start, Dante managed to say something, to which Jessika – after a momentary pause – smiled and nodded before replying.

This obviously pleased Dante a great deal. He had a noticeable spring in his step as he returned to his friends.

"Jessika and I are going on a date," he said happily. "Next weekend."

Taya and Mateo were taken aback by this further development in their friend's changes, but not enough to deter them from the story.

"Yeah, that's great and all… but what happened to you?!" Taya pressed.

For a brief moment, Dante considered whether or not to let his friends in on the secret. He didn't know if they'd believe him or even accept the chance for some real adventure.

Then again, they shared the same love of games that aided Dante back in Nibiru in developing strategies to reclaim the villages. If anything, they might be excited for the challenge.

It was a gamble, but he was willing to take it.

Taking out his phone, Dante selected the Nibiru Horizons app.

"Okay, what I'm about to tell you will sound completely unbelievable."

Tapping the SHARE option, he scrolled down through his contacts until he selected Mateo's and Taya's numbers.

"But trust me, you'll want to be in on this."

---

We reach the final chapter where loose threads are collected and taken care of... most of them, anyway ^^;

Yes, Gunter will be returning as a regular villain, doing the Void's bidding.

And - for those aware of the show - the bit with the phone app is something of a reference to the Chaotic series; even more so in the next book, but that's for another time XD

My biggest concern with this chapter can be summed up with this: in the beginning, Dante is suppose to be a nervous personality, and the events in the book make him feel confident enough to ask the girl he likes out on a date. Does the overall book give that impression?

Read and Enjoy ^_^

~Aaron