Meeting an Old Friend!

Dante walked slowly through the ruins of an ancient city. The air was thick, laden with miasma and an almost supernatural stillness. 

There were no demons around him, only silence, which seemed heavier than any battle he had faced thus far. The structures were partially melted, as if consumed by lava ages ago, and shadows danced on the broken walls, created by the incandescent light emanating from magma fissures on the ground. 

He glanced around, his sharp eyes analyzing every detail. "There's no one here..." he murmured, his voice echoing in the empty ruins. "Strange. On the ninth layer, I expected to find... legions upon legions of demons." 

Then, he spoke to himself—or rather, to the presence within him. Alter-Dante, his living shadow and distorted conscience, hovered beside him, floating like a dark reflection. "What happened here, Alter?" Dante asked, his voice laced with curiosity and caution. "Why is it so... empty?"