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After disposing of the Sovereign symbiote with his Biokinesis, Dante returned to his room and took out his phone. The protection spell had saved his phone from the fate it usually met during any large-scale fight. The battery was dead, though. He plugged it in and waited for it to boot up.
A flood of notifications greeted him the moment he unlocked the phone. Four missed calls from Silvija, three from Felicia, one each from Gwen, Natasha, and Emma. Plenty of messages from them when they couldn't reach him. He opened the group chat with Silvija and Felicia first.
[Silvija: Can my boyfriend not destroy something every day? I should've kept you with me.]
[Felicia: I know I haven't been around lately, but you can't go around causing chaos without your chaotic cat.]
[Felicia: Meow! I'm skipping my lectures today. Let's have fun at the arcade. Silver, you can join us]
[Silvija: I'll pass. I have work]
[Felicia: You'll cry in your office when Darling puts a ring on my finger]
[Silvija: Kill your—]
Felicia and Silvija joked around in the chat group, showing too much faith in his survival. Then again, they were the closest people to Death besides Sharon. They knew how ridiculously powerful Death was.
Next was Gwen.
[Gwen: My spidey-sense says you're involved with that island's destruction.]
[Gwen: 😮💨 do you need help?]
She wasn't lying about always being ready to help him in any circumstances.
[Natasha: You don't have to destroy an island for my attention. Just call me.
PS: Clint said Fury smashed his table. You might be in big trouble.]
Natasha's text made him snort. Nick Fury smashing stuff in anger might be the best thing to happen in a week that already had some of the best moments of his life.
[Emma: Are you in a crisis? Should I fly back?]
That warmed his heart a bit. She was willing to fly back from Europe. Emma delaying her business without profit for him showed how much she cared.
The only sad part was that every single person in his life had independently concluded he was responsible. They weren't wrong, which was the part that gave him the faint, melancholy sensation of being completely known.
"I'm not some walking apocalypse. Or… maybe I am."
Death chuckled, appearing near the window. "Silvija, Felicia, Gwen, Emma, Natasha—all of them confirmed it with me the moment the explosion went off."
"Ah."
She looked back at him, leaning back against the window. "They would've rushed over if I didn't answer."
"I see."
"This is such a strange feeling." She smiled, still not used to the feeling of being a center figure like this. "You should rest for a while."
"Hmmm. I will—"
Buzz. Psylocke sent a message, which had never happened before.
[Psylocke: I saw the footage. I know it wasn't you, but that was a splendid sword technique.]
[Psylocke: I want to learn it.]
'At least someone's impressed by Darkchylde.'
He replied to everyone one by one. Silvija got a request to meet him in her room. Felicia got a time, with a note to bring Gwen along. Psylocke got a training session for next week. Emma got reassurance she didn't need to cut her Europe trip short. Taking the Shaw's family business was necessary for Symkaria. He left Natasha on read for a second, then thought better of it and called her instead.
She picked up after a few rings.
"Dante…" She said, yawning. "What happened on the island?"
"You should ask Jeffrey."
"Jeffrey? Is that a new villain?"
"The greatest villain of all time," he said with a sigh. "He didn't do anything today, unfortunately. I wish he didn't exist in this universe."
"Well." She seemed to not know how to feel about his rambling. "We can talk about this Jeffrey person later. The story today, you should tell me in person."
The full meat and juice of the story would be really inconvenient over the phone.
"Already calling me out on a date. I didn't know my bride was like that."
"Bride or not, I've gained three millions because of you," she said in an amused voice. "Emma sent a paycheck yesterday."
"It's only fair that my wife reaps the benefits."
She chuckled softly. "I'll pick a nice restaurant to treat you with that money. Deal?"
"How about 3 PM?"
"Works for me."
He made an exaggerated kissing sound into the phone, committing to the bit completely. "I'll see you later."
She was speechless for a moment. "I dare you to try that in person."
"Challenge accepted."
"I'll introduce your balls to my chains."
She hung up with a threat that left him in cold sweat. Natasha wasn't joking around.
'I shouldn't push her too much.'
He put the phone away and flipped on the TV to kill time while waiting for Silvija. The screen opened to J. Jonah Jameson in full rant mode.
"This IS caused by all of you sitting at home!" JJJ pointed a finger at the viewers through the screen. "YOU gave this man the power. Today, he has destroyed an island. Tomorrow, he will destroy a city. The day after he will destroy a country!"
Dante really wanted to reach into the screen and slap some sense into JJJ. The man's logic was so bullshit it looped back around to being funny. One of these days he would kidnap the old man just to say one thing to his face: "make it make sense."
He turned the TV off and stretched his arms, unable to stop himself from yawning. "I should take a nap."
He had spent a lot of time in Doctor Strange's life and abused Death and Hyperion's Resonance afterwards. Three hours of rest should be plenty to bring him to his peak condition.
The door opened before he could lie down. Silvija walked in before closing the door behind her. The smile on her face was full of fondness.
"Did you really destroy an island for fun?"
He sighed. "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
"I'm just joking around." She sat beside him, looking a lot more carefree than yesterday. "So, what happened?"
He stretched out and put his head in her lap, shifting until he found the most comfortable position. She leaned back, letting him take full advantage of her.
"I was fighting Illyana. She destroyed that island."
"Illyana? Piotr's sister?"
"Yup."
Her eyes flew wide open. "How did she become so powerful?"
He started telling her the whole story, conveniently cutting out his intimate moments with Laura. She didn't need to hear those details. Halfway through, Laura walked in without knocking and crawled onto the bed like she owned it.
She gently kicked his thigh, forcing him to get off Silvija's lap. "You won't sleep?"
"In a while."
"Hmm. Sleep here with me."
She arranged the pillow to her satisfaction and lied down, closing her eyes. After spending two days here, she had become quite used to Silvija's room.
Silvija completely ignored Laura. There was nothing else she could do since she had signed up for this chaos.
She nudged him gently. "Keep going."
He told her about the fight in the Limbo and Illyana's reunion with Piotr in the gym. The conclusion left her with a look of relief.
"I thought his sister was caught up in some horrible trafficking incident. I'm glad she is fine."
Silvija would've given up after these years if Piotr did it first. But deep down, she might've thought of Illyana as dead.
She gazed at the floor, swinging her legs slightly off the edge of the bed. "You took yet another burden away from me."
"Does that really matter between us?"
She met his eyes and shook her head, then leaned her head on his shoulder. "I really want to stay here."
"Nobody is saying you can't."
"I won't be able to go." She sighed. "Don't you dare forget about me, or I'll pump your face with a double barrel."
"It won't work."
She pinched his arm. "Then I'll pump mine—"
"Don't you ever say that."
He reached up to turn her face toward him. Her eyes were slightly wet. She had been dead serious about this. The raw vulnerability in her eyes made him feel about her trust. "You're so cute. Why do you think I can't teleport to Symkaria? We'll do it in your royal chamber."
She shoved him away and wiped her eyes, muttering, "Screw you. I don't have anything like that."
He stroked the back of her hair until she was full to feeling herself. "Silvy, can you leave Piotr here? He needs to stay with his sister."
Illyana had to stay under his watch in case Darkchylde took hold of her again. It would be better to keep watch over her until her rule over Limbo stabilized.
She gave him an exasperated look. "I'll be left with Raul, Crippler, and Amy Chen. What type of mercenary missions can I take with four of us?"
The Wild Pack had more members than ever, but all of them were busy. Ava and Laura had to attend university soon. Logan had gone off grid. Jean was here for mercenary work. Now Piotr would be forced to stay here as well.
"I'll teleport people according to your needs. I'll come personally if it's a dangerous mission."
She let out a short laugh and leaned into his hand. "I was kidding, love. We can afford to breathe after Osborn's contract."
"That's great."
The only silver lining Norman ever gave was those millions to Silvija for the defense contract. He had given the Sovereign symbiote a quick death because of this.
She continued, "If Emma succeeds, we can afford new teams to undertake different clients simultaneously."
He could already picture her buried in paperwork, not a bad thing considering the risks involved with every mercenary business. Snipers were still deadly for Silvija since her symbiote suit couldn't stay up all the time. Her symbiote might not react in time to catch the bullet.
'I should create some protection artifacts just in case.'
Certain artifacts could hold an enchanted spell for many years, functioning on ambient mystic energy to function. He had two days before she left for Symkaria. It should be enough time to create some mystical amulets.
'I should borrow some mystical items from the Ancient One.'
Having mystical items at hand would make the process a lot quicker and easier.
"I'll call Piotr," Silvija said, reaching for her phone. "I want to see his sister."
"Sure."
A knock came a few minutes later. Silvija got up to open the door and only saw the blonde on the other side. Piotr's big frame was nowhere to be found.
Illyana walked inside and looked around. Her gaze lingered on Laura for a moment before she nodded at Dante.
"Greetings, Dante and…" She turned that sharp look on Silvija. "Piotr's boss."
"It is great to finally see you."
The enmity coming off Illyana wasn't subtle. Silvija felt it too but answered Illyana's greeting with a calm smile.
"Piotr has served you for many years now, right?"
Silvija maintained her smile. "Yes, he is like a family now."
"Family?" Illyana scoffed, crossing her arms tight. "You should be ashamed for using that word."
Even Dante was caught off-guard by Illyana's open hostility, much less Silvija who had been thinking of Pior's sister as her own. There had to be a misunderstanding somewhere.
"What exactly did I do?"
Illyana shook her head. "I'm not in the mood to discuss the details. Terminate his contract now. We're going back to Russia."
Anyone in Silvija's position would have pushed back against Illyana. The accusation was unfair and without evidence, in her own home, by someone she had been hoping to welcome as family. Silvija, instead, turned to him for guidance.
Illyana shifted her gaze to Dante, and her eyes softened a bit. "Piotr treats you like a brother. Make this right. Mercenary work isn't for him."
He patted Silvija's shoulder comfortingly. "Is this Piotr's decision or yours?"
She remained quiet.
"So it's your own," he said. "Bring him here then. The contract will be finished on his word."
"There is no need. My brother came to her. She used his desperation to bring him into a life of blood and violence. That is despicable. He never wanted to be a mercenary."
Dante stayed quiet, keeping his eyes locked on the open door.
Piotr, who had been stuck to the wall, finally showed up in the doorway. He stepped inside and gave an apologetic glance at Silvija. "When I started, I didn't feel great about this work."
Silvija remained quiet, giving Piotr a chance to explain himself.
"But I've come to appreciate it," Piotr said. "Even in this business, we have people who are loyal to each other."
"There are." Silvija nodded with a warm smile. "Why don't you tell your sister about our first meeting?"
Piotr faced Illyana, looking a bit awkward. "I got down to my knees and begged her for the contract. It was my only chance to find you."
Illyana looked shaken, imagining her brother's desperation. "You big stupid meatball. You could've just forgotten about me and moved on."
"I wasn't going to give up even if there was a one percent chance." Piotr smiled, patting Illyana's small shoulder. "Commander Silvija has always treated me fairly. The work has meaning to me. I don't regret a single day of being in this bloody business."
Illyana let out a deep sigh and turned to Silvija. "I'm sorry, I guess."
Silvija waved her off. "It was a misunderstanding. Don't worry about it."
"No, I was rude as hell for nothing," Illyana said, rubbing the back of her head. "I thought you forced him into an unfair contract and exploited his honesty all these years. I was so pissed thinking about it."
Silvija smirked at Dante. "Love, she can't decide if she wants to be nice or edgy."
"Love?" Illyana asked, eyes darting between Dante, Silvija, and Laura. "Aren't you dating Laura?"
"It's complicated."
Piotr burst into deep laughter. "Dante's love life is like a spiderweb. You never find where it starts and you never know where it ends."
"It can't be that complex."
"Illya, he is dating four women. Five if we count Laura."
Illyana stared at him with her mouth wide open. He had a feeling all the respect he had gained just slipped away. "Unbelievable."
He shrugged. "I don't regret it."
She closed her mouth and frowned, as though trying to understand something. Afterward, she nodded seriously. "I respect your commitment. We only get one life. Why not make the best of it?"
"Words to live by," he agreed wholeheartedly. "Before I forget it again, Illyana, I need some answers."
Her mutant power allowed her to travel back in time through Limbo, but traveling to another universe was different. He still had no idea how she ended up in a different timeline. Maybe it would lead him back to the person who dropped Lady Loki here.
"Then let's talk in Limbo."
"Can I join you two?" Silvija asked, looking eager to visit Limbo. "I want to see the Demon Queen in her natural habitat."
Illyana blushed faintly, still not used to her title. "I don't care."
"Go without me," Piotr said, stifling a yawn. "This American contract turned me into an owl. I can't sleep during the day."
He left in long strides, the door clicking shut behind him.
"Sleep well, brother," Illyana whispered, moving her gaze away from the door. The stepping disc glowed below Illyana's feet. "Come here, both of you."
Dante and Silvija stepped in the circle. The teleport happened in an instant. In a blink, they stood under Limbo's ominous red skies. The air was warm and thick with an unusual sulfur scent.
"It is like Hell," Silvija whispered. "This is all hers."
"You bet it is." Illyana reached out and her Soulsword materialized in her grip. She observed it for a moment and then stabbed it into the ground. "Limbo, where is my throne?"
Only she could talk to Limbo like she was addressing a subordinate.
Limbo answered by sending a rumble through the realm. The ground over a kilometer away split open. From the rupture, a massive palace rose. Stairs cascaded downward from the entrance and ended at Illyana's feet. On both sides of the steps, demon minions crawled out from the ground and knelt in two long lines stretching from where they stood all the way to the entrance.
Illyana acted calm, as though she had grown used to this treatment from Limbo.
She gestured to the palace with an open hand. "From one queen to another, welcome to Limbo."
***
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