⚜️ Saga 0: The Ash Years
🗓️ Year: 2000 — Brooklyn, New York
Rain sloshed through the Brooklyn streets, leaving oily puddles under a broken neon "OPEN" sign that flickered like it was half-asleep. The city sounded normal for late at night: sirens, a barking dog somewhere, and that humming energy that said, "Nobody's getting eight hours tonight."
Inside a bar squished between a pawn shop and a shut-down massage place, the air reeked of spilled booze and too many cigarette breaks. It just smelled old, like nothing had changed since before cell phones.
Behind the bar was Dante. He looked like a guy you'd expect trouble from: big shoulders, beat-up coat, old boots. His face had that "I've been through a lot" vibe, but he wasn't ugly—just kind of scary if you met him in a dark alley. His eyes were such a deep red they looked almost black. His hair stuck to his face, still wet from outside.
He had a way of standing that made the whole bar feel colder, like a silent warning.
He carried weird weapons—there was a dark, old sword on his hip with creepy markings on the handle, and under his coat, an ancient-looking revolver covered in weird runes.
If you'd seen the way he moved, you'd know he wasn't normal. He was super strong and fast in a way that made other guys look slow. Even when facing real threats, Dante barely seemed to care. Bullets slowed when they got near him. Spells just fizzled out.
But right now, he was calm, flipping a coin and looking like he had all the time in the world. Just a tired guy waiting for… well, who knows.
Two regular customers sat at the bar, trying to drink their problems away. The bartender looked like he'd been here forever, just cleaning glasses and keeping out of trouble.
People thought Dante was just another tired regular. Obviously, no one saw the faint magical symbol on his neck that glowed when evil was around. That's how he liked it.
***
**A System In His Head**
Sometimes, a voice spoke in Dante's mind—a woman's voice, not quite human. It sounded like some kind of video game narrator with a dark streak.
> [Sin System: Online]
> Progress: 0.4%
> Task: "Eat up old, forgotten sins."
> Reward: Piece of something called "Wrath Echo."
Dante ignored it. He always did.
***
**The Visitor**
The bell on the door jingled. In walked a skinny guy with golden eyes, looking like he didn't belong. Everyone in the bar tried to melt into their seats.
"You're early," Dante said, like he was annoyed he had to talk.
The guy just kept walking. Dante handed him a brass key, not looking up.
"Downstairs. Don't bother anything that's alive."
_
The Basement
Downstairs was colder and creepier. Stone walls scratched up with weird symbols, old chains, and stains you didn't want to ask about.
At the table sat a twitchy demon with gray, sickly skin. It looked hungry, but mostly tired.
Dante made blue fire appear in his hand, almost like a magic trick.
He didn't bother chatting. He let the pain do the talking.
The demon coughed up something black and gooey. Dante snatched it mid-air and squeezed. There was a soft pop. Some dark smoke soaked into his skin.
"Not much fight left," Dante said. "You chose the wrong person to hitch a ride with."
The demon said, "You feel weird."
Dante just smirked. "So do you."
He finished the job with a little more flame. The demon was gone. The system in his head chimed again:
> [System Update]
> Progress: 0.5%
> New Skill Earned: "Shadow Stitch"—locked for now.
***
**Back Upstairs**
Dante washed his hands at a sink. The bartender gave him a cigarette.
"Another ghost?" the bartender asked.
"Not worth remembering," Dante answered.
"You keep this up and you'll live longer than this dump," the bartender said.
"Not if I get bored first," Dante replied.
***
**Fast Forward**
The years ticked by.
- In 2001, Dante burned down a soul-market under a church, fighting a dozen monsters in record time.
- In 2003, he stopped a time loop in Queens after arguing with some crazy fortune-teller.
- In 2005, he cleared out a haunted subway tunnel.
No one noticed. That was how he liked it.
The system's voice got a bit louder.
> [Sin Progress: 7%]
> Waiting for the next step: "Find something—or someone—to ground your anger and your love."
One night, a name came into Dante's mind while he slept: 'Wanda Maximoff '
and her brother, Pietro.
A girl who could change the world when she cried.
He ignored it, but then some ache inside started up, deep as an extra heartbeat.
> [Match Detected: Wanda & Pietro Maximoff]
> Event about to start.
He dreamed of red-haired ghosts with sad eyes and memories he didn't even own.
Finally, Dante left the bar.
The wind caught his coat.
Brooklyn stared back at him.
This time, he wasn't wandering just to wander.
This time, he was following something that was calling him.
***
**End of Scene.**
***