Apricity

The sun

It felt like warmth on the skin

A fuzzy feeling on a cold winter's day when the first rays finally touch your skin

The kind of feeling you get when you finally meet someone after a long time. That warm fuzzy feeling in your chest when someone finally notices you.

Everyone knows that feeling... the feeling of happiness finally blossoming... the feeling of hope...

When Dante stepped through the portal, it was almost dawn. The sky was painted in different shades of blue, purple, and pink. The stars disappeared as the clouds began to disperse away.

"Where are we?" Serah whispers, peeking from behind his shoulder.

"Terrae," he simply answered as he helped Serah down. Serah glanced around curiously and was about to head in a different direction when Dante linked his hand with hers.

"Ira, don't just simply run off in an unknown territory. You could get lost," he lightly scolded her, and she turned to him, a soft smile appearing on her features.

"I wasn't going to just wander off without you, I may be young, but I do know better than to traverse in an unfamiliar realm. Besides, I have my darkness with me."

And there it was, the sudden ease in her voice that he immediately noticed. Deep down he knew she needed this, to be away from the realm of darkness and somewhere where she could experience some freedom.

Dante scoffs, "I didn't think you would have so much sass in your tone,"

She ignored his remark, "So where's the so-called sun you spoke about?"

Serah was relieved, to say the least. She wanted to leave that place for so long to the point where everything became so suffocating. She needed this, and she was grateful to a stranger who saw her pain and didn't just forget that she was just a simple caelestian but someone who wanted help. They say that help comes in mysterious ways, and certainly, this was unexpected.

"I'll tell you when we get there," he pulled along as they strolled up the hill through the forest.

Serah puffs her cheeks but follows after him. She wasn't complaining, though, but her Darkside, well that was a whole different story in her head.

"So you have a crush?" Darkside whispers in her head

"Leave me alone. You're useless. At least Caelum is kind enough to help, whereas you are a dumb idiot!" Serah yells at her in her head.

"Listen here, brat, I do help you. Your body just isn't strong enough to handle my full capabilities!"

"So what if I'm not capable? I got bitten by a vampire and I was so close to getting my freedom but you didn't even help-"

"Watch your tongue Serah! If only you knew which vampire it was-"

Dante then flickered Serah's forehead. His eyes glowed gold, "S'taht hguone won, mlac nwod ym evol"

Darkside immediately keeps quiet in the back of Serah's mind. Serah just blinked at him, and he just laced his hand with hers and pulled her beside him.

"What did you..?" With a whisper, her eyes meet his gold-flicked orbs

"Don't let her get the best of you. Don't allow her to steal your light."

"My light? I am a being of darkness that has a cursed creature residing inside her... There's no light inside me..."

"Someone once told me that no matter how evil a person is, no matter how dark or deranged they are," once they made it up the hill, he turned her to face him.

"they just need one person to make them believe that light.. that hope still exists."

Just then, a light shimmered through the mountains on the horizon, and the birds began chirping.

"And maybe just maybe, that one person will give them the will to live through the darkest of times."

It was warm, a relaxing feeling that rushed through her. But what surprised her most were the colors of the sky that seemed to fly for miles. It was like she was admiring an old painting, but the artwork in front of her was real.

"It's beautiful..." she whispered. There was a smile on her face, full of excitement, and awe-filled eyes with light tears. Tears of happiness, of joy at something so simple.

"Yeah, it is..."Dante couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He too couldn't help but smile, his little mission had been successful: Make the princess smile

"How is it possible that this is the sun?" Her hand reached up to touch the sun rays that burst through the clouds.

"How is it possible something so beautiful exists in a land with no magical essence?" With a whisper, she turned to him.

"That's the thing about the outside world Ira. There's more to life than living in a cage… living in a realm full of darkness. You don't belong there," he pushed a strand of silver hair behind her ear.

"Your father, the king, keeps you as their prisoner, you can't keep living that life, being their little solder, to be their war maker. Trust me, I know what it's like to be a war maker and it leaves a darkness in your soul when you take the lives of innocent caelestians. You may be young, you may still be a child, but you-"

Dante pauses when a shiver goes down his spine. He lets out a scoff glancing to the portal that appeared a few feet behind Serah. Unconsciously he pushed Serah behind him, his sword appeared in his palm ready to strike.

"Instead of hiding in that damn portal, why don't you show your ugly face?" Dante snarkily remarks while his eyes glow gold, his dark side manifesting.

With a glance behind him, "Be careful, things might get ugly here-"

When Serah's Darkside sensed his dark being, her eyes glowed onyx. "You don't have to protect me just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't protect myself."

'She's a feisty girl, I can see why even I'm falling for her dark side,' Dante's dark side whispers to him. And so to mess with him, he decided to force him to reply,

"I'm not protecting you because you're a girl, I'm protecting you because you're my girl,"

With a flustered blush appearing on her face, Serah gaped at him.

"Can I kill him now?" Her Darkside whispered, a growl escaping her annoyed by the other dark presence.

And so it seemed that the four of them had forgotten about the other ominous portal.

"what I meant to say was… fuck.. that idiot!" Dante mumbles

"Listen I don't care if you can fight, I'm still going to protect you"

His dark side smirks, 'Smooth Dante.. very smooth'

"I know you can take care of yourself, you've proven that but what I'm trying to say is… rely on me, 'cause I'll have your back." He sighed and placed his hands on her shoulder.

"Gods, this is not how I normally am," he mumbles more to himself but Serah catches his words

"Caelum.." Gently she calls his name, "This is all new to me too," with a soft smile she tilts her head and places her palm on his hand that was on her shoulder.

With an understanding that crossed upon his features, no other words were needed to be spoken between them. As for their darksides however, both of them had manifested while her darkside kept glaring at the other one.

"Aether, be nice to them before I lock you up again" Dante glares at his dark side. 

"Wait... your darkness has a name?" 

Dante gives her a curious look, "Yeah.. why? Doesn't your darkness have a name?" 

Serah blinks, "Uh..." with a shrug she glances at her dark side. "I always called her Darkside... since when do you have a name?"

Darkside huffs, 'I always had a name you stupid brat! you just never used it!'

"Wait.. really?" a sudden glow appeared in her eyes, and a newfound feeling emerged at knowing her dark being has a name instead of calling her Darkside.

Darkside's shadowy features showed that she was dumbfounded at her vessel's insignificant knowledge 

'Sometimes you make me question every decision of my life,' Darkside remarks.

'But I am not going to remind you of what my name is, you need to dig in your memories and find out my name on your own. After all, I am the most powerful creature-'

Aether cuts her off, 'oh really now all powerful being, I never knew ym evol was the most powerful creature, instead of giving her that homework just save her the trouble and say your name,' he teased, a familiar glint in his eyes

"Uhm do you two know each other?" Serah looks back and forth at the two dark beings.

Darkside glares at Aether, 'I'm just Darkside,' 

'For now, I'm just Darkside,' She gave Serah a nudge, 'Take your time in remembering but for now like always, I'm Darkside,'

"Now that the two love birds have finished their lovers quarrel, how about me and you go get rid of those shadow monsters that decided to ruin our lovely moment," Dante breaks the tense moment annoyed with Aether's untimely move.

With a soft laugh she turned to Dante and with a nod, he pulled her into the portal ignoring her Darkside protests.