The Dragon King's Heart

The past flashed through his mind. Dante recalled what had happened after she was gone. Those were his darkest moments. It felt as if he had fallen into a dark pit. He had fallen into the abyss with no way to get back out. 

If not for the glimmer of hope, that Laina was still possibly alive, Dante would have remained in the pit. He was lying to her, hoping it would bring her peace. 

"No... I won't be fine..." she cried while shaking her head. 

"There has to be away! There... there has to be a way to lift the curse!" she reasoned. 

Dante clenched his jaw.

"It's too risky," he muttered. 

Laina looked up at him. There was a glint in her eyes. 

"Too risky? So there's a way to lift the curse?" she asked him from clarification. 

His silence was deafening. 

"Dante, if there's a way, no matter how risky-"

"No, it's not possible."

Laina was distraught. She was sick of going around in circles. She pulled away from Dante, clutching her fist tightly on her chest. 

"I have done everything within my power to find a solution. I will do anything-"

"Laina.."

She raised her hand. He held his tongue. 

"I will do anything to save you, Dante. Even if it means I have to sacrifice my life," she declared with determination. 

Dante shook his head, "No, absolutely not." 

"So is that why? Is that why you're not telling me about this solution?" she asked as she folded her arms. 

"It's not that simple..." he tried to get closer to her but Laina swiped his hand away. 

"Then help me to understand!" she yelled at him. 

Her voice was quivering. She could feel her heart palpitating in her chest. All she wanted was to share his woes. She wanted them to face it together. 

"Please, Dante, I beg of you," Laina asked him as she reached out for his hand. She clutched his hand tightly in hers. 

He caressed the side of her cheek. The words were at his lips but he could not do so. 

"It's not that I don't want to, my love. I simply can't," he explained. 

After a short moment of wonder, he spoke up, "I might not be able to tell you, but perhaps, I can show you."

"Show me?" 

Dante held out the palm of his hand. A sphere of white light appeared. As she looked into it, Laina was transported into a different location.

"Where are we?" she asked as she looked all around. 

"In my memory bank, you're seeing through my eyes," Dante's voice echoed in her mind. 

He was not physically with her, but she could still feel his presence. She could hear voices in the distance, so Laina followed in its direction. The scene before her felt familiar. 

Seeing the person who stood before Dante, Laina took a step back in surprise. Through the painting portraits she had seen in Dante's possession, this woman was a spitting image of her. 

"Laina," he called out to the person in the memory. 

"Yes, my love?" the woman responded. 

Was there any doubt that it was her after all? How could someone who looked identical be a different person? There had to be an explanation for it. 

"That... that's me? In a different life?" Laina muttered to herself, looking at the memory unfold. 

But what happened? Why could she not remember any of this? Something must have happened. 

Laina looked up and around. She called out to Dante. 

"Dante, I want to see what happened to me," she said firmly. 

She was met with silence. She knew he would avoid this. Laina curled her hand into a fist. It confirmed her suspicions of what it was going to be. Their separation was supposed to be permanent. 

"I know you can hear me," she called out to him again, "Please, Dante. I want to know."

Laina was met with silence once more. However this time, Dante relented. The memories Laina was viewing shifted to a different scene. It looked as if there was a battle raging in the background. 

She could hear the cries of fallen warriors, battle cries. The memory was vivid, so much so, she could even smell the burnt flesh on the battlefield. Through Dante's eyes, she could see him slaying anyone who crossed his path. 

Through him, she saw herself fighting alongside him. Even in their top form, fatigue was setting in. But the fight raged on around them. 

There was no rest for the warrior. 

"We... we can't keep fighting," Dante said to her as he panted for air. 

Laina shook her head as she clenched her jaw, "But they will never let us be together." 

Dante grabbed Laina by the arm, forcing her to face him. They were looking into each others eyes in the heat of the battle. Some might call it foolish, and perhaps they were right. 

"Nothing can pull us apart," he said to her with great determination. 

Laina, who was watching the scene play out, placed her hand on the memory she was watching. From the reflection in her own eyes in the memory, she could see something unfolding. 

There was a figure, growing in size as it got closer and closer. Laina wanted to warn them, people in the memory fragment. But she knew there was no point in doing so. What she watched was set in stone. 

As the figure came closer, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. This was certainly not going to end well. Laina watched as she wrapped her arms around Dante tightly. She spun him around, switching places with him at the last moment.

Laina watched as she was pierced with a glowing sword through the back. Dante's cry of shock and pain as blood trickled down her lips broke her heart. Her body collapsed in his arms. He knelt down on the ground with her limp body in his arms. 

She could see their mouths moving, exchanging final words. 

"Only death can pull us apart," Laina muttered to herself as she watched Dante desperately attempting to bring her back. 

But the sword that was plunged through her back was an enchanted weapon. She did not survive the attack.